Claire Thomas, 55, died September 11, 1998, after battling breast cancer.
She was born to Jack E. and Elizabeth Noall Thomas on October 12, 1942 while her father was stationed as an Army officer in the south Pacific. She did not meet her father until she was two years old. The eldest of four children, Claire was admired by her sister, Kathy, and brothers Eric and Matthew, for her intelligence and adventurous spirit.Claire studied French at the University of Utah immediately after high school. She toured Norway and France before settling in Berkeley in the early 1960's. She lived in Berkeley for the next 35 years. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964 with a B.A. in Anthropology. After graduation she studied a year in Pittsburgh. She then returned to Berkeley and obtained an M.A. in Folklore from the University of California, Berkeley in 1972. She presented papers on African Cosmology and Mass Media and Folklore to the American Folklore Society in 1968 and 71 respectively. After visiting her brother, Matthew, in Oxford, England in 1983 and '84, her interests in her Celtic heritage were piqued, and she turned to the study of Celtic languages and culture with a special emphasis in Welsh. This would have made her paternal grandparents, Harry and Margaret Thomas especially happy given that Harry's parents were Welsh immigrants. Claire presented papers on Celtic language and culture to the California Folklore Society in 1991 and 1995. She was co-editor of a collection of Celtic literary works published in 1996. Gifted in languages Claire studied French, Norwegian, Turkish, Breton and Welsh.
Claire felt special fondness for her maternal grandparents Matthew and Claire Noall who preceded her in death. She returned to Salt Lake last year to fight her cancer and spent the year in the warmth and comfort of her mother's home. During the last year she was greatly helped by the love and support of her cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and immediate family. She will be deeply missed by all who loved her.
Claire requested that donations be made to Cancer Wellness House where she was given support and encouragement through her long illness.
Memorial services will be held Monday, September 14, 1998, 11 a.m., at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple.
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