Obituary of Claire E. (Brigham) Powers

Claire E. (Brigham) Powers, 88, of Peabody, died Monday, June 7,2010 at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late John R. Powers Sr. who died in 2000. She was born in Cambridge, MA on May 12, 1922, the daughter of the late Harvey and Anna (Mulligan) Brigham and was raised in Reading, MA. She was a graduate of Reading High School in the class of 1939 and laterthe Bryant and Stratton School in Boston . She had been a legal secretary in a Boston Law Firm prior to her marriage. She then became a homemaker raising her children and became a human rights advocate for the mentally challenged . She enjoyed figure skating, skiing and painting. She is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, John R. and Lisa Powers of Peabody, two daughters, Diane E. Ferry of Danvers and Susan C. Aylwin of Peabody, her two granddaughters, Jennifer La Monthe of Brandon, Fl and Christine Aylwin of Beverly, three great grandchildren, Leah and Blake LaMonthe and Gavin Smith and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Harvey Brigham and was preceded in death by her grandson, Nicholas Christopher Powers. A Visitation will be held on Thursday from 9:30 until 11:00 AM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility. A Service will be held there at 11:00 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Burial will be in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Friends of Hathorne at Hogan Regional Center, 450 Maple St. Danvers, MA 01937 ATTN: Rosemary Bevins in her memory.