Claire C. Fera

The family of Claire C. Fera (Basso) is heartbroken to announce the passing of their beloved mother and cherished Nanny on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Claire, 91, the beloved wife of the late Frank Fera for 63 years, passed peacefully at Serenity Inpatient Hospice at RWJ Hospital Hamilton on her wedding anniversary surrounded by her ever-supportive and devoted family.

Claire Basso grew up in Lakeside Park of Yardville, and was a lifelong resident of Hamilton. She loved sharing stories of her summers spent swimming at Gropp's Lake with her brothers, Jim and Mike, and cooling off in a canoe with her best friends, Joan and Cora. She graduated from Hamilton High School in 1952 with a perfect attendance record. Her yearbook described her as "a real live wire among the girls in her class" and was nominated as Queen on both Freshman Day and Sophomore Day.

Claire touched countless lives in her many roles over the years. In the mid 1960's, she was a crossing guard at the corner of George Dye Road and Route 33 with her "Stop" paddle at a time when there was no traffic light. In the 70s, Claire and Frank were the proud owners of two beloved local establishments, Square Deli and Fera's Deli. The "Deli Days" all started with Square Deli, which they owned with Frank's sister, Rose Bencivengo and her husband, Luke. Wearing their freshly pressed white deli smocks, Claire and her Aunt Fran Bird, became well known for making hundreds of pounds of potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw weekly. Other favorites were her deli lunch meat trays with Loeffler's bologna and Thumann's ham.

Although Claire continued to work in customer service in the 80's for the State of NJ Division of Motor Vehicles for over 15 years, her most gratifying job was working alongside her daughter, Dr. Pamela Tola, in her podiatry office in Hamilton. Claire earned the endearing title of Queen Bee for her unstoppable work ethic of keeping "busy as a bee", her unwavering loyalty to our family of patients, and her generosity to all who were so fortunate to have met her. Claire, at the age of 91, inspired those around her to "find what you love to do and call it work". She was 2 months shy of completing 32 years of service. Proudly wearing her blue scrubs, a favorite decorative pin, and of course, the cutest matching necklace and earrings, Claire absolutely loved greeting patients at the reception desk and making patient reminder calls "with a smile".

Claire centered her life around family. She truly cherished vacations with her grandkids in Vegas for dance competitions and at LBI in the summer. She loved Sunday family dinners cooking homemade meatballs and sauce and baking cookies with her grandkids on the holidays. With the childhood nickname of "Cookie", it's no surprise that Claire's cookies, with 20 varieties at Christmas, became well known around town. There were many years when she baked over 2,000 cookies to give out to family and friends on Christmas. She was even the inspiration behind her granddaughter Jenna's business, Claire's Cookies. During the Deli Days, Frank and Claire were obsessed with playing golf and tennis, hosting summer tennis parties in the backyard of Fera's Deli on their tennis court, and hopping on the bus from Fred and Pete's to Atlantic City to shoot craps. They loved bringing their homemade regulation size crap table to family parties to teach everyone the game of craps, especially their tips on rolling the dice. Although she loved watching her grandson, Matt, play baseball over the years at Nottingham Little League, the Lawrenceville School and the University of Penn, Claire's favorite team was the Phillies! Eating cookies, watching the Phillies, and laughing about the Phillie Phanatic - precious moments shared with family that will be remembered forever - priceless!

Claire was predeceased by her parents, James and Claire Wood Basso, by her brothers, James and Michael Basso, and her husband, Frank Fera. She was a proud mother to her daughters Donna Fera (Grainger) and Dr. Pamela Tola and supportive mother-in-law to Steve Marusky and Sam Tola. Nanny was a beloved grandmother to her grandchildren, Jenna and Santo Costa, Michael and Bianca Grainger, Carly Grainger, Matthew Tola and fiancé, Jennie Daisak, and Samantha Tola, most recently became a loving great-grandmother to Giovanni Costa and was an adored Aunt to many nieces and nephews of the Basso, Fera, Bencivengo, and Williams families.

Claire will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. She will always be remembered for her hearty laugh, her warm smile, her profound generosity, her never give up attitude and for always being our Matriarch, our Queen Bee, our Bull, and our Nanny! The legacy of a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, will continue for generations.

Her daughters, Donna and Pam, would like to invite their family, friends, and all who knew her to a Celebration of Life to remember a life well-lived and honor a special woman well-loved.

Celebration of Life to honor Claire Fera

Light fare and refreshments will be served.

Thursday, August 7, 2025

4 pm to 7 pm

Knights of Columbus Hall

1451 Klockner Road

Hamilton, NJ