Claire F. Wallenburg

Claire Florence Wallenburg (nee Chadwick/Whittaker), age 94, of Pompton Plains and formerly of Wayne passed away peacefully on Friday June 18, 2021 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Claire was born in Trenton and grew up in and around the Trenton area of New Jersey.  She was the daughter to Howard and Florence Chadwick.  Claire and her family moved around quite a bit when she was a young girl.  Eventually after graduating from high school with the class of 1944, she attended Drakes School of Business where she earned her Associates Degree in Bookkeeping.

Claire found work quickly as a bookkeeper with the Fair Department Store in Passaic, NJ.  Claire held employment there for the next seven years until 1958.  During that time her brother had enlisted in the United States Navy and was stationed at a naval base in the state of Virginia.  Every so often her brother would commute home to New Jersey when he had time off.  When he did, he traveled with another young enlisted man by the name of Fred Wallenburg.  Claire was introduced to Fred by her brother and they hit it off great.  Claire and Fred started dating, as fate would have it they fell in love and on May 17, 1953 they became husband and wife getting married in Calvary Baptist Church in Clifton, NJ.

After getting married the couple settled in Passaic, NJ where they resided for about seven years.  In 1958 while living in Passaic, they welcomed the birth of their first child, their daughter Debra. Claire and Fred moved to Wayne in 1960, where they actively participated in the building of their home. Not long after that in 1962, they welcomed a second child, their son Lee. Claire and Fred raised their children in Wayne and remained there until they retired and moved to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains eleven years ago.

Following the birth of her first child, Claire decided to dedicate her time to being a full time homemaker.  Claire remained a homemaker until 1972 when her children became older.  At that point, Claire made the decision to return to the workplace.  Claire called upon her previous skills from her earned degree and accepted a position once again as a bookkeeper, this time at Tires of Wayne on Route 23 in Wayne, NJ.  Claire held this position from 1972 until 1994 when she finally retired.

Throughout the years, Claire participated in and organized various 4H Clubs in her local area where she worked with young people in an effort to advance the field of youth development.  One of Claire’s most beloved passions was sewing.  Claire was extremely talented at sewing, needlepoint, and crocheting.  She was a voracious reader, mostly of mystery and suspense novels.  Some of her favorite authors included Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen King.  Over the years she received books via mail order as part of a Book Of The Month Club. Being an avid reader, it came as no surprise that Claire strongly supported and could be often found at the Wayne Public Library.

Claire was not only dedicated to her family but also to her Baptist Faith as well.  She and her family were members of the Preakness Baptist Church in Wayne for many years.  There she was very active and participated in and worked closely with a variety of the church groups and committees.

Travel was another of Claire’s favorite past times.  Throughout Claire and Fred’s time together, they were able to visit all fifty states of our great nation.  They also had fond memories of traveling to various islands in the Caribbean.  Many of the couple’s vacations would often be two to three weeks in duration.  However, above all of Claire’s talents, hobbies, and interests, her greatest passion was for her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Claire than spending time with her children and grandchildren.  Claire and Fred cherished sixty-five years of loving and loyal marriage together until Fred’s passing in 2018.  Claire was a truly special person who touched the lives of everyone around her.  She will be sincerely missed by her family and friends alike.

Claire is survived by her daughter Debra Flynn and her husband Brian of Oak Ridge, NJ, her son Lee Wallenburg and his wife Romy of Merritt Island, FL, six grandchildren; Kathleen Flynn of Norfolk, VA, Shannon Flynn of Silver Spring, MD, Patrick Flynn of Oak Ridge, NJ, Randi Wallenburg of Merritt Island, FL, Nina Wallenburg of Merritt Island, FL, and Troy Wallenburg of Merritt Island, FL.  She was predeceased by her husband Fred Wallenburg in 2018.