Bolton of Brockton, August 1, 2003, Clara W. (Laird) Bolton, 97 years. Wife of the late George M. Bolton. Mother of George L. Bolton of No. Easton. Grandmother of Diane Lynn Bolton of Gainsville, FL; Susan Kay McElroy and her husband Scott of Boca Raton, FL; Michael Laird Bolton and his partner Glenn Rice of Minneapolis, MN; and James McLeod Bolton and his wife Denise of Raynham and great grandmother of Zachary and William McElroy, Devon McLeod Bolton-Rice, Nicholas Bolton and Samuel James Bolton.
Family and friends are invited to gather at the J. Frank Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Wednesday at 12 noon. Funeral Service in the Christ Congregational Church, Brockton at 1 pm. The Rev. Richard Aubin-Fischer will officiate. Entombment to take place in Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, MI. Visiting Hours Tuesday 4-8 pm.
Obituary
Mrs. Bolton died Friday morning at West Acres Nursing Home after a period of declining health. Born in St. Johnsbury, VT, the daughter of the late Thaxter and Ida May (Hooker) Laird. She had an older brother Walter J. Laird. Clara moved with her family to Highland Park, Michigan in 1917. She graduated from Highland Park High School in 1922 and from Eastern Michigan University at Ypsilanti in 1927 with a degree in music and education. She was married in 1928 to George M. Bolton also of Highland Park, MI and moved with her husband to Pittsburgh in 1929. Her son George was born in 1930. In the mid-thirties the family moved to Windsor, Canada, then in 1942 to Grosse Pointe, MI where she and her husband lived for 20 years. Clara was a homemaker. She enjoyed children and had a great appreciation and love for music. She played and taught piano from her teenage years through much of her life and participated in a number of piano recitals in her early adult years. She enjoyed being a homemaker, family gathering particularly at holiday times, visiting relatives and friends, church, Saturday afternoon football games at Ann Arbor, MI, plays and musical concerts. Also enjoyed vacations and trips with her husband George. After the death of her husband in 1962 she returned to Eastern Michigan University for further education classes. This led to her teaching second grade in the Woodland Elementary School in East Detroit, MI. In 1973 she moved to Brockton where she helped to care for her grandchildren. In 1984 she suffered a stroke from which she was able to survive and regain much of her former abilities. During the past years, Clara has resided at the West Acres Nursing Home in Brockton. She belonged to South Congregational Church and Christ Congregational Church for the past 26 years.
Survived by a son, George L. Bolton of No. Easton, four grandchildren, Diane Lynn Bolton of Gainsville, FL; Susan Kay McElroy and her husband Scott of Boca Raton, FL; Michael Laird Bolton and his partner Glenn Rice of Minneapolis, MN; and James McLeod Bolton and his wife Denise of Raynham, five great grandchildren Zachary and William McElroy, Devon McLeod Bolton-Rice, Nicholas Bolton and Samuel James Bolton. Also survived by several nieces and nephews
Wife of the late George M. Bolton, sister of the late Dr. Walter J. Laird