Claire Uldrich, 90, passed away at her residence on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

As per her wishes, Claire will be cremated under the guidance of Rasmusson-Ryan Funeral Home and Crematory in Nevada Iowa. There will be no service. Condolences or memorials may be directed to the family in care of Martha and Mark Royer, 2935 Ross Road, Ames, Iowa 50014-4031.

Claire was born in Brainerd, Minnesota on a very hot day on September 10, 1934. She grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota with her older sister, Valerie, and younger brother, John. Claire was raised by her mother, Evelyn, who worked as a social worker. Evelyn exposed the children every year to some kind of theatre entertainment in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and she raised them in the Catholic faith.

Claire graduated from Little Falls Junior-Senior High School in Little Falls, Minnesota in 1952. She attended the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Library Science in 1956. She started her career in Gibbon, Minnesota as a teacher/librarian for two years. Beginning in 1958, Claire served as the librarian in two elementary schools in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio. There she attended book meetings, did story telling, developed puppet shows with students, taught computer and media skills, ordered and catalogued books and audio-visual materials and equipment, and participated in many other library and school activities. Claire earned a Master's Degree in Library Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1962. She retired from Parma City Schools in 1993.

Claire traveled to many countries in Europe and Asia. In 1995, she moved to Ames, Iowa, living in a condominium, a house, Windsor Oaks retirement community, and then Maggie's Place at Northridge Village.

While in Ohio, Claire was active in puppetry, arts and crafts, and the Parma Theatre Guild. She attended Cleveland's Museum of Art classes in weaving, print making, drawing, watercolor, mixed media, pottery making, and other categories of art. As a member of Puppeteers of America, she attended puppetry festivals in Boston and Seattle, serving as Great Lakes Regional Director. She joined the Twin Cities Puppeteers, and she was also a member of the Prairie Guild of Puppetry. In Ames, Claire experimented with the Octagon Center for the Arts for a while, worked as a volunteer for Reiman Gardens, and she was a member of St. Cecelia Church and Unity Church of Ames. At Unity Church, she utilized her library skills as the bookstore manager. At Heartland Senior Services, she worked in the transportation department. She was publicity chair for the Ames Garden Club for several years, and she was a member of the Russ O'Harra Hosta Society. She was a member of the Ames Toastmasters Club 569. From 1999 to 2009, she was an antiques dealer, attending numerous auctions, and she joined a Questers collectors club in Boone, Iowa.

Claire never married. She took care of many beloved cats throughout her life, and she was an avid bird feeder. Claire was a rascal, and she had a wry sense of humor, entertaining many of her fellow residents and staff at Maggie's Place.

Claire is survived by her sister, Valerie Windschitl, Ames, Iowa, and sister-in-law Kaye Uldrich. She had many nieces and nephews and their partners: Dr. Mark (Dr. Pam Joseph) Windschitl, Dawn Windschitl (married to nephew John, deceased), Rebecca Windschitl (married to nephew Stephen, deceased), Martha (Mark) Royer, Chris (Jody) Windschitl, Gretchen (Roy) Janssen, Dr. Paul (Tricia) Windschitl, Jack Uldrich, Tom Uldrich (deceased), Nan Marie Zosel, Catherine Glynn, and Ben Uldrich. She was preceded in death by her brother John Uldrich, her brother-in-law Cletus Windschitl, and her mother, Evelyn Uldrich.