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Claire Anne Chapman-Wright

claire chapman-wright
Claire Ann Chapman-Wright, was born October 29, 1954 to Lillian and Coverly Chapman in Hunter, New York. She had two sisters and one brother, Nancy, Christina and Joe. Living in a small mountain top community, Claire was the consummate adventurer. Always first to investigate, explore and report. She was raised as an independent woman, close to her siblings and a very special bond with her father, Coverly. Claire attended the University of Iowa to immerse into her love of the written word and study as an English major. In the late 1970's, she joined the Air Force Intelligence where she became a Russian linguist with a Top Security Clearance and worked for the NSA. She met and married her husband, Tom. Shortly after marrying, they were sent on their first deployment together to San Vito, Italy. From Italy they moved to Okinawa, Japan where they had their two daughters, Tina and Amber. Claire always wanted two children close in age so her children could have the friendship she experienced with her own sister, Christina. Tom and Claire traveled the world together. Stationed in Mississippi, Japan and England, they focused on building a close knit family unit of four. While stationed in England, Claire finished her BA with the University of Maryland. Claire was an active mother. She raised each child to build on their strengths and strive to be educated, contributing members to the societies in which they participated. She listened to each of their opinions and helped them see the artist inside themselves. She was the type of mother than genuinely invested her life in the unbreakable bond with each of her children. Once Tom retired from the Air Force, the Chapman-Wright family returned stateside. Ultimately calling Temecula, CA home. Claire lived out her life in Temecula. She worked with Tricare on the 6th floor of the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital for over 10 years. Claire was an active Stephen Minister for the Temecula United Methodist Church and long term member for 18 years. In the last years of her life, she frequently said that all she ever wanted in the world was to be surrounded by the family she built and to fight as hard as she could, for as long as she could. In July 2012, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. She was told she had less than 30 days to live. As she lay in her bed, she had decided for herself that she was simply not going to die. Her family needed her too much. Her daughters needed their mother. She made a deal with her oldest daughter, Tina, that she would make it to see her 30th birthday (August 28, 2016), over 4 years away. Claire spent the last years years of her life fighting like hell. Often telling Oncologists to "throw the kitchen sink at it" and "any side effect of a trial drug is better than the side effect of doing nothing. The side effect of doing nothing nothing is death and I simply refuse to die." Claire went on vacations, she swam, hiked and kayaked. She decided to take up competitive ball room dancing with her husband, Tom, as her partner. Together with their 37 years of marriage, they won many 1st and 2nd place ribbons -- dancing their way through the rest of her life at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Claire never gave up. In the face of uncertainty and fear, she showed extreme bravery, defiance of statistics and a determination to beat the odds. She taught her daughters how to thrive no matter what the cards dealt them and decide for themselves how one should live their life. Claire lived her life with grace, determination and a spit fire zest that never accepted "No" as an appropriate answer. On September 27th, 2016, a little into her 5th year after her diagnosis, one month after her daughter, Tina's, 30th birthday, Claire quietly passed away surrounded by the only things she wanted in the world. Her husband and her two daughters.

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  1. So sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in Jehovah God’s promise of a resurrection here on earth in the near future. He will truly take away all that causes pain and sorrow.
    Revelation 21:4,5


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