Claire Hunt, 91, of Osterville, Massachusetts, died on March 15, 2023. She passed away peacefully in her bed on the Cape, with family around her.

Claire was born in 1932, at home in Enfield, Connecticut. She grew up on Enfield Street, next door to Bill Hunt, who she would marry. They graduated from Enfield High School. There, she was Most Attractive Girl, Best Dressed Girl, and Class Actress, and later, Miss Tobacco Valley. She was emphatic about maintaining the spirit of those titles throughout life. Most of her style leanings worked well. She had a carefully curated hat collection, men’s suits fitted to her feminine form, sparkly shoes, and lots of pink late in life. Occasionally, she needed an intervention: asking for high black patten leather boots to wear home from hip replacement surgery was simply a bad idea.

Claire left Regis College early to work with her father in real estate. She took a break from that to work as a mother. She returned to real estate as her kids grew, and in full force when her husband died in 1981. She was a partner at Century 21 Alaimo, Corrado and Hunt. She believed real estate was about people, not houses. She was proud of her Enfield Street office, where a prior Hunt generation had a business. In those years, Claire just worked and worked. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of who lived where, and when, on nearly every street in Enfield. She retired fully at age 82. She used the word love about being a Realtor but said her favorite work was as a mother.

Claire let one thing interrupt work: service on the Enfield Board of Education, and ultimately as its Chair. The Board of Education allowed her to serve “little people,” what she thought we should call children. She respected public school teachers and administrators; many became her good friends. At a time and place when local government service had nothing to do with politics, agendas, or self-interest, her fellow Board members gave her perspective, laughs and lifelong friendship. Her family is forever grateful for their gift to her of pleasure and purpose.

Claire believed in creating community. She did that in Enfield through organizations such as the Visiting Nurse Association, Rotary and the Democratic Town Committee. She spent time on Holiday Open Houses along historic Enfield Street, organizing parades, and creating a school hot lunch program. Only a village on the waters of Cape Cod could pull her from that community and friends she made along the way.

For whatever her daughters or any young woman aspired to be - a mom, a PTA member, a head of household, a quirky antique collector, a fashionista, a business owner, a real estate investor, a quilter, a local government activist - Claire role modeled all of it, all at once. Just not a cook.

Claire leaves her three daughters, Amy (and Elizabeth and her granddaughter, Caroline) from Boston and Osterville, Kristin (and her grandsons Garrett and Grant) from Texas, and Heather, from Osterville. She also leaves Cassie Van Buren, her caregiver turned true friend. Claire’s husband and son, both Bill, predeceased her far too early in life. She was predeceased as well by her parents, Clarence and Christine Provencher, her sister, June Lynch, as well as her Uncle Raymond Provencher and his wife Martha who were very special to her.

Claire was also predeceased by her horribly misbehaved sidekick, Nicholas, a Wire Fox Terrier rescue. She said after years of making her kids behave, she had no further interest in it.

Claire will be buried at St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Enfield, Connecticut. Her family will toast to her life with her friends on Cape Cod and in Enfield, in keeping with her last email to her daughter, which arrived the morning after her passing: “Bring wine for dinner tonight, please. It’s allowed.”

Please make donations to honor Claire’s life to Neighbor to Neighbor in Barnstable. It’s an all-volunteer non-profit that lends Cape seniors a hand to help them age at home. Claire believed Neighbor to Neighbor was the essence of kindness and community-mindedness, like her friends and its Board Members, Bob and Anne Schulte of Centerville.

www.barnstable.helpfulvillage.com Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home has care of arrangements. To leave on-line condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com