Claire Evans Martin

Claire Evans Martin passed away December 22, 2022. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 2, 1940. Her parents were John E. Evans, Jr. and Elizabeth Carpenter Evans.  Claire is survived by her husband of 54 years, Lawrence Martin, and by her children Karina Martin Hogan of New York City, Nicholas Martin of St. Paul, MN, Sonia Martin of Philadelphia, PA, and Monica Frith Esguerra of Las Vegas, NV.  She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and by her brother John Evans III and sister-in-law Phyllis of St. Louis, Mo.

After attending schools in Pittsburgh, Claire enrolled at Wellesley College, where she graduated in 1962 with a degree in Art History.  She then spent a year doing volunteer teaching in rural New Mexico.  From there she became a graduate student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she earned an M.A. in religious education.  In the following years she worked as a Director of Religious Education at several Catholic parishes in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.  Claire pioneered a program that helped parents prepare their children for first communion.

In 1968 Claire married Lawrence Martin.  They moved first to Minneapolis, where Karina was born; then to Wisconsin, where Nick was born and Larry worked on his PhD; then to Rome, Italy, where Sonia was born and Larry completed his dissertation on a Fulbright fellowship; and finally to Akron, OH, where Monica Frith was born.  All of their children were fortunate to grow up in Akron, close to Claire’s parents in Pittsburgh.  The family was also fortunate enough to spend seven summers when the children were young at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. In 1989, Larry and Claire, Nick, Sonia and Frith spent a sabbatical year in Dublin, Ireland.

Claire and Larry both taught at the University of Akron for 21 years and later at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire for ten years. Claire taught a survey of Western Culture and later English as a Second Language at the University of Akron, and religious studies at John Carroll University and later at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

After their retirement from U.W. Eau Claire in 2008, Larry and Claire worked, along with Rick Gresczyk, on a project producing hymns in the Ojibwe language at the Catholic Church of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis. Claire practiced carefully to lead the Ojibwe language singing at church.

Claire always enjoyed singing, and she sang soprano in several choirs, including the Choral Society at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, OH and the UWEC Symphonic Choir. She also loved to garden and to walk outdoors in the beautiful surroundings of her home in Eau Claire. When the children were growing up, she enjoyed hiking and camping with them. She loved to entertain guests, especially her children and grandchildren, in her home. She and Larry also enjoyed traveling, making several trips to Europe with their children, and in more recent years, to Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile and Peru, as well as to Mexico with her brother John and sister-in-law Phyllis.

A Celebration of Claire’s life will be held 10:30 a.m. January 2 ^nd , 2023 at Gichitwaa Kateri Catholic Church, 3045 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407.

The family has requested donations to the church of Gichitwaa Kateri in lieu of flowers.