Claire M. McCarrick, 97, of Moab, passed away on Saturday, May 25, at the Canyonlands Care Center in Moab.
She was born on August 23, 1921, in Harrison, New Jersey, to William and Catherine Melesky (née) Wojciehowsky. After finishing high school, she worked part time in her aunt’s hair salon and as a secretary at Western Electric, a subsidiary of AT&T. It was there that she met her husband, Edward McCarrick. They married on June 10, 1950, and lived in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, for 25 years.
McCarrick was devoted to her home and family and loved all animals, particularly rust-colored cats. She and her husband enjoyed playing bridge, learning ballroom dancing, and both were avid travelers. They especially loved visiting our country’s national parks.
Upon her husband’s retirement, they moved to Moab in 1975. He served as a seasonal park ranger at Arches National Park, and he and McCarrick shared in many explorations of the park and the surrounding area. They were happily married for 42 years.
McCarrick is survived by her nieces, Marie Wright (née Melesky) and Carol Handville (née Melesky); her grandnieces, Suzanne, Diane, Kristin, Lisa, and Katie; and four great-grandnieces and two great-grandnephews.
McCarrick is predeceased by her husband, Edward McCarrick; her parents William and Catherine Melesky; and her brothers, Henry, Alfred, and Clifford Melesky.
Special thanks to her friends Lois Cooper, Anna Reposa and Richard Anderson for all their devotion and loving care. And many thanks to the staff at the Canyonlands Care Center for their compassion and kindness to McCarrick in the last two years of her life.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, July 17, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 250 Kane Creek Blvd., in Moab.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
