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Eulogy For Clare

Clarinta Elda Elizabeth Moore
(aka Clare P. and Clarita)
May 12, 1922 – November 16, 2017

Growing up I thought of Aunt Clare as that happy lady who came over a lot, was my
Aunt and loved to pinch my cheek really hard, call me an embarrassing name and give
me tons of presents. She’d always be sure to remind us to never say nine but instead to
say ni-yun, so people would be sure to understand what we meant. That came from
being a teacher for Ma Bell, teaching all the girls how to be operators. She did that at
least two, maybe three decades…a lady not afraid to try new things.

Now I see her more as The Giver, The Helper. Always giving. To the Indians
especially, others,too. But wait…

She always brought tons of food, too, remember?

A passion for food took root in Clare early on… she’d tell stories of behind the scenes
happenings in the kitchens of her clients… when she was twelve years old. She was a
pro that early because she stepped up in support of her family. Her dad had been
called to the Lord very early on, you see. She took that support as a mission to heart…
to her Soul and kept at it right up to her last day here. That is so beautiful a thing.

But the food…

She loved food and cooking and seeing to it that every single person there; and
sometimes there were quite a lot; wound up stuffed and happy. I was always amazed at
how much food she could make on a moment’s notice.

Holidays always saw everyone pounding pound after pound of perfect pasta sarde,
serious shrimp cocktails, delicious Dolly breads for Easter, astounding apple pies and
of course, her glorious Baked Beans, which define the phrase “indescribably
delicious.” They are one of those treasures of a lifetime that simply can never be
duplicated, for not a one of us has that God-given magical touch.

Clare’s devotion to family especially her siblings was powerful right to her dying day.
There’s Orlando, who everyone called Tim, Anita and Louise, Evalyn and Lena, her
parents, husbands Joe Greco and Clay Moore, cousins, especially Bobby Morrell, as
well as friends she adored… with very deeply felt emotions for each and every one.

Her heartthrobs were Erroll Flynn and Randolph Scott and the music was by Gene
Autry, the Sons of the Pioneers and our very own Uncle Tim, who could hold his own
with those guys for sure.

Always the traveler, the adventurer, Clare would go out West, ride horses, stay at dude
ranches and just be toolin’ around in her Model A Ford, gobbling up life with gusto. She
must have been quite something back in the day.

Clare was never afraid to tackle any issue in order to keep us safe and secure no matter
where she was or what her situation was. Clare was likewise never afraid to spread her
love as far as she could with the hotspot being her family. She did these things with
remarkable success and her example lives on as inspiration for all of us to follow.

She taught me so much in those last few years. Taught me without even knowing she
was… about dealing with my profound sadness and inner anger and especially about
what love really is. And that is nothing less than giving solace and comfort, protection
and security with no expectation of return. But even in her final days she managed to
give me clear messages of love in return. Truly a remarkable lady.

Fare thee well, my dear Aunt Clare – I know you are up in heaven now, watching
over us, keeping us safe. I feel you here sometimes.

Enjoy your new journey knowing that you will live in love in our hearts forever.

— Iggy Makarevich

I read that today at Clare’s funeral. Made it to the end in one shot with just a couple of quavers toward the end! Thank you to those who hlped me get to where I could do that.

It was a small, intimate and lovely ceremony and just as I had hoped it would be. The crowd was small but the people there were the right people and that was definitely a welcome thing. All my love to everyone that was there. That goes for the man from St. Mary, too, who I sadly forgot to exchange names with. He was so pleasant, which was a good result as I had no clue what to expect.

I was blessed to have my dear friend Andy Raynor, (the holiest person I’ve ever met), do the interface with the divine. She is so good at that and then there came the fabulous, unaccompanied Amazing Grace sung by my dear cousin Jamie Petrone which gave us the sweet, soulful sound we needed at just the right time. Quite a few commented how great it was. Jamie is so inspiring.

Such wonderful family and friends … made me feel at ease and loved.

And then … wouldn’t ya know it…

There was a bit of paranormal in it, too, thank God, as Aunt Clare was there (!!!) in the form of a tiny bird seated at the peak of a nearby pointed monolith watching us and at just the right time chirped at us directly and then flew off, fortunately right after I got in a rockin’ thumbs up!

I will treasure it always.

photo by jerri Wiley mods by Iggy Makarevich

peace