Sunrise: June 1, 1944. Sunset: April 12, 2020
Claudia died of cancer, during the COVID 19 pandemic and therefore died alone in her hospital bed.
This is a copy of the letter written by her daughter to be read at her funeral. Claudia’s daughter, Maya Buchanan Perry, who lives in London, England, writes the following: Maya’s farewell is followed by that of her brother, Paul, and then her “Travel Buddies”, cousins Peaches, Jackie, Butch & Gina.
A Farewell To My Mom
When I think of my mom, I often think of the multifaceted woman that she was:
Creative and full of laughter, she loved gardening, cooking and weaving to name just a few.
She loved and was inspired by the power of music of all genres: from jazz, soul, blues and folk, to classical and opera .
She was intellectual and enjoyed discussion on nearly any subject, always trying to get to the core of the issue .
She valued and understood the power of community and would always extend herself to someone in need
.
Mom loved animals, I never knew a time in my life where she didn’t have a cat or a dog (or two!)
.
She knew and valued the power of God and the spirit irrespective of religion, somehow always helping to remind people of their connection to something higher than themselves . She was independent and full of integrity, a true free spirit .
A beloved and nurturing mom, grandma, wife, mother-in-law, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt and friend. She was the matriarch of our family, our rock we could always rely on. Someone who we could turn to for guidance and who we knew would always fight fiercely on our behalf, helping us all to navigate and embrace the highs and lows of life.
Mostly, I just think of her as my mom. My heart, the person who has always been there for me, the person I would speak to on how to raise my boys, how to cook a recipe, what to do about my cat being a tyrant, a political outrage (many), a funny thing that had happened that day – anything at all.
And I think of the many simple things we loved to do together: browse in bookshops and in second-hand stores, play cards and enjoy ‘girl time’ and the many laughs and conversations we had about current circumstances or just making sense of the world together. And I think of how I will cherish these moments and how I already miss them.
And finally, I think of how grateful and lucky I am for having her in my life as my mom. She showed me how and inspired me to be, the multifaceted woman that I now am myself.
She taught me how to love and be loved, to be a parent and a wife, the importance of family, how to make a home wherever I am and how to hold on to the things that matter most and to let go of the things that don’t.
Mom’s love and gifts stay with us – our love transcends all dimensions.
A Farewell To My Sister
This is a copy of the letter written by her brother to be read at her funeral. Claudia’s brother, who lives in Chicago, Illinois writes the following…
Claudia King Yunker
“She walked with Kings and didn’t lose the common touch” Claudia was a beloved sister, sister-in-law, aunt and friend. She was loyal, unselfish and intensely forceful in her beliefs. She was a strong advocate for social justice, marched with Dr. King in Selma and did not shy away from active protest against injustice when or wherever the need. Claudia will be missed, but we are all better because she passed our way.
A Farewell To Our Loving Cousin, Claudia
We failed to write something for Claudia’s funeral but today, here, now, it is not too late because we love her.
Claudia was a loving cousin to my sister, brother, myself and our families.
Over the last several years, we became close and got to know and love each other more and more. We met and love her husband, Preacher, her sons, Kinko & Sonny her daughter Maya, and her many grandchildren, all of whom she loved very much and we learned to love them as well.
I won’t forget the many times that we, Butch, Jackie & I, were hosted by Claudia, Preacher, and her sons, in New Mexico. Boy did we have a great time!
I remember the time that she & Preacher had a friend that was out of town and we were able to stay at his million-dollar home that summer.
For many years, we got a group of hotel rooms where we enjoyed each other. As long as we were together.
I remember, several times that my son, Tony and Jackie’s daughter was hospitalized (both of them have Crohn’s disease as does Claudia’s daughter, Maya), She would send him many books and a number of pieces of health information and called many times to check on them.
She and her family mourned with us at the loss of our brother, Butch, whom we all loved dearly.
The Good Lord saw that she needed rest, that she had done what he put her here to do, so He took her into His Loving Arms.
She is in heaven with her mom, her dad, our brother Butch, our husbands Earnest & Gene, aunts, uncles, cousins, a wealth of family members!
Imagine such a welcoming group!
Our loss is their gain.
We will miss her dearly.