Obituary for Claire Lynn "GiGi" Gill
Claire Lynn “GiGi” Gill, 75 of Coventry, formally of Clinton, passed away at Hartford Hospital on June 14, 2021, after a long illness of Cerebral Amyloid Angioplasty (CAA), surrounded by her family. Born on February 4, 1946, in Manchester, Connecticut, daughter of the late Claire (Mathieu) and Victor Darr. She leaves behind her beloved husband of 53 years Mal, her daughter Heather and her husband Jonathan their children Gavin and Bowen from Clinton. She also leaves behind her son Matthew, his wife Jen and their children Madison, Jackson and Carly from Barrington, RI. She is also survived by her brother and several nieces and nephews as well as her cousins Jimmy and Mark.
Claire was a proficient acrobat student for years before she turned to teaching it in Norwich and Clinton. She was also a secretary at the Jared Elliot Middle School for 25 years.
Since she was a baby she spent her summers on Coventry Lake at her grandmother’s cottage, swimming in the lake with her cousins and becoming an excellent water skier. Claire and Mal bought the cottage in 1978 and spent summers there until 2012 when, after they both retired, built their dream house overlooking the lake and moved there full time. Since then, she’s enjoyed watching and teaching her grandchildren how to swim, kayak, paddle board and water ski.
Claire loved to sew, especially making Halloween costumes for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time in her yard and her gardens where she’d spend hours planting and weeding. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren: watching the boys fish, taking the girls shopping and watching them all play sports.
Relatives and friends are welcome to join the family from 4-7 PM on Thursday, June 17th at the Coventry-Pietras Funeral Home, 2665 Boston Tpke. (Rte. 44) Coventry. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, June 18th at St. Mary’s Church, 1600 Main St., Coventry. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Coventry.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support the CAA Research Center https://www.angiopathy.org/ to help them come up with a cure for this brain disease by making a donation via check to the "Massachusetts General Hospital - Fund 028184" at: Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, Attn: Elizabeth Barberio, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1101. For online condolences please visit: www.pietrasfuneralhome.com
Claire was a proficient acrobat student for years before she turned to teaching it in Norwich and Clinton. She was also a secretary at the Jared Elliot Middle School for 25 years.
Since she was a baby she spent her summers on Coventry Lake at her grandmother’s cottage, swimming in the lake with her cousins and becoming an excellent water skier. Claire and Mal bought the cottage in 1978 and spent summers there until 2012 when, after they both retired, built their dream house overlooking the lake and moved there full time. Since then, she’s enjoyed watching and teaching her grandchildren how to swim, kayak, paddle board and water ski.
Claire loved to sew, especially making Halloween costumes for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time in her yard and her gardens where she’d spend hours planting and weeding. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren: watching the boys fish, taking the girls shopping and watching them all play sports.
Relatives and friends are welcome to join the family from 4-7 PM on Thursday, June 17th at the Coventry-Pietras Funeral Home, 2665 Boston Tpke. (Rte. 44) Coventry. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, June 18th at St. Mary’s Church, 1600 Main St., Coventry. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Coventry.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support the CAA Research Center https://www.angiopathy.org/ to help them come up with a cure for this brain disease by making a donation via check to the "Massachusetts General Hospital - Fund 028184" at: Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, Attn: Elizabeth Barberio, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1101. For online condolences please visit: www.pietrasfuneralhome.com