Sister Claire Markham

Sister Claire Markham (Sister Maria Clare), the daughter of James J. and Agnes V. (Manning) Markham died, Friday, December 6, 2013 at Saint Mary Home in West Hartford. Born in New Haven in 1919, Sister Claire entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1940. From 1940 to 1949, she taught at St. Patrick School, Hartford and Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury. After completing her doctorate in Chemistry at Catholic University of America in 1952, she returned to her alma mater, Saint Joseph College, as a member of the faculty. She held various positions at the College, including Professor of Chemistry, Dean of the Graduate School and Director of Institutional Research, receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters Honorary Degree in 1989 from the College. She retired as Professor Emerita in 2000. Sister Claire also served as Undersecretary, State Department of Energy in the Office of Policy and Management in 1977 and was visiting professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim, Norway and the University of California, Berkeley, CA in 1967-1968. In addition, she was the author of numerous research articles and research projects. Among the awards she received were the Woman of the Year Award, West Hartford Business and Professional Women in 1961 and a Citation, along with Eleanor Roosevelt, from the Service Bureau of Women in 1962. She is predeceased by brothers, James, Charles, and Richard and a sister, Jean. Sister Claire is survived by her sister, Elizabeth M. Markham of West Hartford; two sisters-in-law, Rosemary Markham, of Orange, and Dorothy Markham of Bloomfield, NY; also a nephew, Richard Markham and nieces, Catherine Keene, Maureen Carpenter, Christine Markham, Lisa Markham and their families, and her Sisters in the Mercy Community, especially Sister Irene Holowesko, Sister Mary Frances McMahon and the Sisters with whom she resided at Lourdes Hall. The wake and funeral will be held on Wednesday, December 11, in the Connor Chapel of Our Lady, located on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford. The wake will be from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., followed by the funeral Mass of Christian Burial at 6:00 p.m. Burial will be on Thursday morning, December 12, at 9:00 a.m. in the Saint Mary Cemetery, West Hartford. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in her honor may be made to the Sister Claire Markham Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford or to the Sisters of Mercy, 55 East Cedar Street, Newington. The Sheehan-Hilborn-Breen Funeral Home, West Hartford has care of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com.