Claire Ann Zillmer

1945 - 2025

Claire Ann Zillmer

October 3, 1945 - April 7, 2025

Claire Ann Zillmer of Charlottesville, Virginia, passed away on April 7th, 2025, in her home in Stonehenge after a four-year struggle with cancer. She was 79.

Born on Oct 3rd, 1945, the daughter of Herman Emil Zillmer and Florence Holman Zillmer, she grew up in a farming family in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. She was the eighth of nine children, Herman Lawrence, Darrell Durwood, Allan Sinclair, Merton Lee, Manly Dean, Ardith Marie, Donna Diane, Clarice Anne, and Karen Joy. She often shared stories of farm life, attending a one-room schoolhouse in the 1950s, her father and older brothers' daily chores, and her mother's cooking and baking.

After graduating from Shell Lake High School in 1963, she attended Wisconsin Community College and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Although Claire was not an activist, she always strongly felt the changes in the wider world. The cultural upheavals of the 1960s impacted her emotionally to the point that she wanted to drop out of school, not finding it meaningful or relevant.

However, her eldest brother Lawrence Zillmer encouraged her to finish college at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was a teacher. So she did, living in a crowded house with Lawrence, his two children by his first marriage, his second wife Sandra and their two children, and other boarders.

After graduating with a degree in Home Economics in 1967, Clarice joined the Peace Corps and spent two memorable years in Colombia. She often spoke proudly and fondly of Colombia and her time in South America, of learning Spanish, and of the intensity of a life so different from Wisconsin and the U.S.

After finishing the Peace Corps she landed a job teaching Home Economics at Lane High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Sandra Jones and her children Bret and Joel had moved. Along with a later child, Ben, and Sandra's aunt and uncle Barbara and Bill Pace, this became Clarice's family for her adult life, her base for holidays and events.At Lane, Claire also made many friends, especially Pat and Doug Valentine who remained Claire's closest friends for over fifty years.

Clarice served in the city school system for 38 years. She saw the transition from Lane High School to Charlottesville High School in 1974. She became a guidance counselor after obtaining a Master's Degree from the University of Virginia in 1976. She moved to Buford Middle School in 1990 and finally retired in 2006. Through her work as a teacher and guidance counselor, Clarice was a mentor and friend to countless young people, setting an example of optimism, cheerfulness, and pragmatism. She treasured her frequent encounters in town with grateful former students of so many different backgrounds and life paths.

During summers when school was not in session, Clarice would travel, often back to Wisconsin to visit family. In many trips she took meandering routes to visit other family members, particularly her sister Donna and her children Chad and Eric. Nieces and nephews all over the country would fondly anticipate her visits. She took kids to ice cream or on small outings, never extravagant, but always cheerful, kind, and fun.

In addition to family, work, and friends, Claire was a beloved neighbor and trusted volunteer with churches, clubs, and civic organizations. She was especially proud of serving for over 35 years with Altrusa, a women's organization dedicated to charitable and patriotic service. Since moving to Stonehenge in 1992 she served frequently in leadership positions of Stonehenge Homeowners Association.

In retirement, Claire became a treasured help to her niece Bernadene Brickman Bohemier, who was then living near Washington, DC, as a single mom with children Kortney, Kyle, Kelsee, and two dogs. Clarice adopted one of the dogs, an Italian greyhound, Poppy, who was much loved in the Stonehenge neighborhood until passing in March 2024. Clarice drove up almost weekly to be a part of that family, and Kortney lived with her in Charlottesville while attending college.

After Bernadene's family grew up and left home, Clarice took a similar role with nephew Joel Jones, his wife Jennifer Jones, and their daughter Ellie when they moved back to Charlottesville in 2012. Clarice was a babysitter, friend, confidante, and support.

In retirement when not helping families or communities Claire began to study pottery at PVCC with Tom Clarkson. Beginning from lumps of clay that she shared with her gentle humor, she became an expert potter creating beautiful works in style, color, and design that were treasured gifts.

In her later years Claire's love of travel increasingly took her overseas, including visits to Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Venice, and Verona, traveling with tours and friends, and especially with niece Bernadene. She and Bernadine went almost yearly on overseas adventures including a favorite trip to Machu Picchu, Peru.

Just before Christmas in 2021 Clarice was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had many ups and downs and endured treatments with her trademark cheerful spirit, but she could never rid herself completely of the disease. She took a turn for the worse in early 2025 and passed away in the comfort of close family and friends and the gratitude and prayers of so many in Charlottesville and beyond.

Clarice is survived by her sisters Ardith and Karen, by Sandra, and by more than a hundred nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews by birth and marriage including Bret, Kreela, Joel, Jennifer, Elizabeth "Ellie," and Ben Jones, Josephine Stewart, Chad and Eric Jensen, Bernadene, David Houser, Kortney Tompkins Robert, Shelby Tompkins, Wyatt Tompkins, Kyle Jeffreys Carson, John Walker Jeffreys, Finley Jeffreys, Kelsee Blocker Devon, Roman Blocker, Amber Olafson, and Ashley Houser.

Services will be held at South Plains Presbyterian Church May 4th at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Computers for Kids, the Piedmont Family YMCA, and the City Schoolyard Garden Program run by Cultivate Charlottesville.