Obituary
Claire Irene Stafford was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 9,1933, to Mae (Albergamo-Turchetti) and Salvatore Siravo a local entrepreneur with several restaurants and construction firms. After graduating from Hope High School, she married the love of her life, Dennis F. Stafford, on May 3, 1952. Gas was still rationed, and she loved to tell how all their friends gave their gas coupons as wedding gifts for their honeymoon trip to South Florida. In 1955, they had a son, David Francis Stafford. When the Wanskuck Mills closed in 1957, the couple recalled the sunny tropics and settled in Hialeah. Soon, her mother Mae and sister Rita joined them. They all came to love the wonders of “Magic City,” as Miami was known in the 60s. On many weekends, they packed up the family car, headed off to pink sand beaches, or traveled up Route 27 to see uniquely Florida sites such as Cypress Gardens, Weeki Wachee Springs, or the Everglades mural at the Clewiston Inn near Lake Okeechobee. Claire worked most of her life in accounting. In the early 60s, she learned computing skills on the massive IBM mainframes at Federated Department stores. Those skills carried her through a varied career with Pure Oil, Unocal, Gulf Oil Latin America, National Airlines, and Airlift International.
Claire was very active in the Hialeah community. She held leadership positions with the Hialeah / Managua “Sister-City“ program, as the Treasurer of the “Seahorse” swim team, and as a den mother for the Cub Scout troop affiliated with the Immaculate Conception Church. Many of her volunteer activities throughout the 90s and early 2000s centered on the Catholic Church. In 2000, she and her sister Rita were recognized for their efforts by being granted an audience with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Claire passed away peacefully in her sleep while in hospice care at the Nspire Healthcare Lauderhill nursing home. The family is very grateful for the kind and professional care she received from the Nspire staff during her time there and from the Vitas hospice team. She is survived by her son David; her grandson Dorian F. Stafford; her nephews and nieces: Leslie Leech, Linda Leech Blochberger, William Leech, Nancy Leech Brown, their spouses and children.
Claire desired to be cremated and to have her ashes placed with those of her husband, Dennis, near the Flamingo Station of Everglades National Park. This site overlooks the Florida Keys where they spent many happy times with his sister Mary Leech and her husband Leslie, who had moved from Rhode Island to Florida in the early 70s. A celebration of life ceremony will take place with the immediate family once appropriate permissions have been granted by the park.