Claire D. (Holmes) Lewis

With great sadness we announce that Claire Diane (Holmes) Lewis, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away from her long battle on January 18, 2022, at Stormont Hospital in Topeka, KS at the age of 61 surrounded by her loving husband and children.

Claire was born in Midwest City. Oklahoma on June 25, 1960. Claire is preceded in death by her parents, William (Bill) and Pamela Holmes. She is survived by her husband Anthony Lewis, and her two children, Nicole Quiett May, Christopher Quiett, son in law, Todd May, grandchildren, Eli May and Maggie May of Topeka. She is survived by her three bonus children through marriage, Ann (Roger) Easter, Cory Lewis, John (Katie) Lewis and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Lesley (Richard) Gurney and Michelle Monroe, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

Claire was a proud Air Force brat. She lived many places before her family settled in Topeka. Claire attended Washburn Rural High School but graduated from Manhattan High School due to relocation in her senior year. She loved to say she was an honorary Washburn Rural Alumni though. Claire worked at Hallmark Cards factory for over 30 years, many of those spent as a quality assurance checker, retiring in 2013 when the plant was shutting down. She was proud of her many friends she met there. Claire then went to the Washburn Rural High School lunchroom where she loved being a lunch lady. She said it was so fun and she loved interacting with the students.

Claire loved her children and grandchildren. She said she always wanted to be a mom.  But she said being a grandma was way better. Grandma Claire was very proud of her grandchildren and wanted to attend every event she could, she always wanted to know their latest adventures. She loved being on the sidelines, or in the audience cheering them on. She loved bragging about them to anyone who would listen. She would always bake cookies with her grandchildren and always had chocolate somewhere in her house. On all her cards to her grandchildren she would write, “love you to the moon and back.” They loved her. She loved traveling and sharing her adventures. Claire had a love of Donnie Osmond, seeing him in person and meeting him in Vegas was a dream come true. She loved to collect Marie Osmond dolls. She really loved taking her granddaughter to garage sales, shopping for her grandkids was one of her favorite pastimes. Claire also loved the gossip, she never knew a stranger and her kids always teased her about looking out through the blinds at the neighbors. If you went to the store with her you had to be prepared for her to know someone and stop to talk.

Claire leaves behind an incredible mark on all that knew her, our days will be a little quieter and a little duller. Her love was endless, and our hearts will never be whole again.

“She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings.”—ARIANA DANCU

To share a memory or to leave condolences, please visit, www.brennanmathenafh.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 SW 6th Ave., Topeka, KS 66603.