CLAIRE NELSON FULENWIDER

CLAIRE NELSON FULENWIDER
April 16, 1942 – October 11, 2025
Claire Nelson Fulenwider of Santa Fe, New Mexico, passed peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, after a long battle with cancer. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Claire was fiercely independent. She loved the outdoors, especially horseback riding, birding, and fishing. Claire graduated from Milford Mill High School in Randallstown, Maryland, and attended Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where she was president of her class.
Claire spent two years teaching high school on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona, before moving to Madison, Wisconsin, to pursue her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science. She taught Women's Studies, Public Policy, and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for five years.
Claire held many leadership positions throughout her career. She served as Director of Energy Policy Research at the Wisconsin Center for Public Policy, Executive Director of Market Services for Madison Gas and Electric, President of Heartland Energy Group, and Vice President of Business Development at Alliant Energy. Her work as an energy consultant took her to India and Egypt with USAID. She also served as a financial consultant at Morgan Stanley in Santa Fe. She ended her career as Executive Director of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance in Portland, Oregon, before retiring to Santa Fe.
Claire's community involvement was extensive and passionate. She contributed to the Cerillos Hills Park Coalition (which became the Cerillos Hills State Park), the La Bajada Ranch Steering Committee, various LGBTQ+ boards and committees, the Envision Fund, the American Cancer Society (Santa Fe), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and the Energy Center of Wisconsin. She was a founding member of the New Harvest Foundation in Madison and an active member of Temple Beth Shalom Congregation.
Claire is survived by her wife, Harriet C. Forman, who joyously shared 44 years of life with her; her son, Nathan G. Knoche, and daughter-in-law, Pamela R. Knoche; her daughter, Nina Knoche; her grandson, Nelson G. Knoche; and her grandson Travis Dregne, his wife Roelie Dregne, and their children James Dregne, Trace Dregne, Aurora Arthofer, and Cora Dregne.
Visitors will be received from 5:30–7:00 p.m. on October 13, 14, and 15 at her home:
110 Camino Teresa, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date.
Donations can be made to the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, MN.
Rivera Family Funerals
and Cremations
417 East Rodeo Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: (505) 989-7032
riverafamilyfuneralhome.com