CLAIRE ARTIS-WHITE

SALISBURY — Claire Artis-White passed away peacefully on Aug. 30 in the company of her beloved family. She concluded a seven-year journey with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Claire was 67. The youngest of three sisters, Claire was born Aug. 7, 1957, in Bethlehem, Pa., to Robert and Mary Artis. As photos and stories convey, her sisters were her earliest and most constant companions.

Claire saw the world with wonder. Right up to the end, she bore witness to the magic in everyday things — the sea sway of tall grass in the wind, purple skyfire at sunset, a songbird at the feeder. She encouraged others to see what she saw, often remarking softly, “Wow, look at that!”

In her late teens, Claire found community shooting pool at a local bar down the street from where she grew up in Orchard Park, N.Y. During those early years, she delighted in mastering the art of the “Citizen’s Arrest,” pulling over unsuspecting friends using a roof-mounted emergency light. For all the silliness, there was also a strength and a wildness in her that she expressed through pixie cuts and leather jackets or a hand-rolled cigarette and deep conversation with her signature eye roll when she had heard enough.

Claire traveled and made a home and lifelong friends easily; from Colorado to Orcas Island, and Southern Oregon to Vermont. During her twenties, Claire lived in England, where she studied Anthroposophy and early childhood education, lived in the stone cottage once occupied by W.B. Yeats, and earned the nickname “Lady Enigma,” by the caretaker.

While in England, Claire met her husband, Netaka, and they fell in love at the wedding of her dear friends, Christopher (Netaka’s youngest brother) and Karen in 1989. Claire would gleefully recall sharing their first kiss on their trip up the elevator to the wedding party that night. Within a few months, she joined Netaka in a remote cabin he built in the foothills of Southwestern Oregon. In their mountain home, she would become a mother to their son, Devon — a role that she devoted herself to completely and one that earned her the affectionate title of “Mama Claire.”

The family settled in Salisbury in 1995, where Claire wrote poetry, gardened, and gathered; entertaining friends and family with her delightful humor and exquisite cooking. In the early aughts, she ran Greenfields hemp store and café; serving up soup and laughter, with post-9/11 comfort and activism.

Claire loved deeply and loved many. She and Netaka made a home where Devon could bring his friends from an early age. She held council for each of “her boys” during sleepovers, helping guide them through new loves, heartbreaks, existential musings, and other perils of being a teenager. She also found sobriety in those years, which she maintained for life.

Throughout her years of living with Alzheimer’s, a sweetness, like that of a little girl, shone through the harsher reality of what she was facing. Two of her last complete sentences were, “I’m so happy” and “I love you.” She showed us all that, beneath the stories and our defenses, there is something pure and untouched that just wants to be loved and give love. This is her gift.

If she were here today, she would thank everyone who helped hold her and her family through this journey when she no longer could.

Claire is survived by her husband, Netaka; her son, Devon (Connar); her stepdaughter, Osha, and their grandson, Isaiah; two sisters, Lissa (Ken) and Stephanie; as well as beloved in-laws, nieces, nephews and dear friends.

A celebration of life will be held at Kingsland Bay State Park on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. All are welcome.◊