Claire was born on February 27, 1920 in San Francisco, California, the oldest child of Edwin Stevenson Thomas, Sr. and Helen Maclise Thomas. She grew up in Berkeley, California and earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in early childhood education at the University of California. Upon graduation in 1944, she accepted a position as the director of a preschool in Honolulu, Hawaii. Soon after her arrival, she met George Douglas Rives, a US Navy lieutenant, on a blind date. They were married on March 9, 1945 and spent nearly seventy wonderful years together. They made their home successively in Lafayette and San Francisco, California, Portland, and their farm near Newberg, Oregon. Through their various moves she supported her husband’s legal career and maintained friendships with his professional colleagues and their spouses.

They had three children, Douglas Graham Rives who died in 1981, Nancy Rives McCann (Andrew), and Helen Rives Pruitt (Charles). Claire was very active in her children’s lives while they were growing up, encouraging them to pursue their wide range of interests. She welcomed and similarly provided support and encouragement to her six grandchildren, Elizabeth McCann, Geoffrey Hendricks (Roxana), Graydon Davis (Sarah), Katherine Hendricks, Douglas McCann and Jacqueline McCann. She maintained close relationships with her sister Marian Martinez and her six nieces and nephews, G.P. Kirk, Susan Denight, Steven Martinez, Ann Nunnemaker, Cynthia Thomas and Laura Martinez.

She was a longtime supporter of human service organizations and the arts. While living in Portland, Claire became involved in community service, serving in leadership roles on the boards of Fruit and Flower Day Nursery, Metropolitan Family Service, the United Way, Portland Opera, Willamette View, Inc., and was active at First United Methodist Church. She made lifelong friends through and remained a member of the Reading Group and Drama Reading Club until her death on July 20, 2014.

Claire had the rare gift of finding the good in everyone she met and bringing out the best in people by her unconditional acceptance of them. She will be missed.

Facts Born: February 27, 1920
Death: July 20, 2014