Welcome to the memorial page for
Clara Jane Schleef Radcliffe
August 13, 1936 ~ August 22, 2017 (age 81) 81 Years Old Light a Candle
Leave a Condolence
A candle was lit by Lori Lund
on October 22, 2021 4:00 PM
Message from Jerry Leibowitz
September 12, 2020 9:37 AM
I am so sorry to learn of Clara’s death. I know this is late, but I just found this information when I realized the wildfires were reaching the Port Orford area, and wanted to contact the Radcliffe gang to see how they were doing. I knew your Mom from our days in Buffalo (I an undergrad, she and Tom grad students). She taught me to write an English sentence with an unforgiving red pencil. She was very kind to me when my first wife died: she and Tom letting me stay with them in the summer of 1975. She was an amazing person.
Message from Lori Lund-Baldovinos
January 19, 2018 8:13 PM
Sending my deepest and sincerest condolences to Clara's family. Clara had an infectious, one-of-a-kind laugh and a smile that could generate light to an entire state!! Clara was a kind-hearted woman with an amazing soul!! Clara's passion was teaching and she was phenomenal at doing it too!! Clara was gracious, charming and an elegant woman who captivated her audiences easily with her wit. May Clara's fond memories help to heal her families sorrows.
Message from Jessica
May 31, 2018 12:28 PM
Lori - thank you for posting your memories of my mother. That laugh was really something else and I agree that she could not just light up a room, but practically set a room on fire with her smile and her charm. Teaching was her greatest joy... I remember long conversations on the phone with her when I moved away from Oregon and so often we would talk about what she was teaching and how she was teaching it and which of her students she was worried about and which of her students made her heart sing. I miss those phone calls with every cell in my body. Your post gave me a little Clara boost. Thank you!
A candle was lit by Lori Lund-Baldovinos
on January 19, 2018 7:36 PM
Message from Shirley MacAdam
September 19, 2017 7:23 PM
I visited Clara on Mothers Day 2017. It had been years since I spoke with her and when I walked into her room at Ocean Ridge, her eyes lit up and her laugh filled the room. We sat and talked for almost two hours holding hands like two old girl friends. I reminded her of how much she meant to me as my english and writing instructor at SWOCC in the early 1990's. I can still see her in that bright red swing coat she wore to class so often. I was one of those "non-traditional students - a woman well past the age of joining a sorority...who came to Southwestern to build a new life for herself." She saw me, believed in me and taught me so much. I promised her on Mother's Day I would return with chocolate. And time, like it often does, passed. I even bought the chocolate once and thought of going more than once and like we do too often...found something else I thought was more pressing to do. I heard last night she died a few weeks ago and my promise to Clara will now go unfulfilled. I shorted her that good dark chocolate! What can I say... Go see the people you love, read the books you know will inspire you, take the walk to get that fresh air, call your adult kids you don't want to intrude upon, and celebrate the time you have with not another promise unfulfilled...in the joy and honor of Clara and all she gave to us.
Message from Jessica Colinares
October 23, 2017 11:48 AM
Thank you, Shirley, for this post. I love that my mother got a chance to see you again and remember the time you spent together in the classroom. I have heard from a few of those nontraditional students and it has made my heart double beat. Clara LOVED teaching - and it is gift to me and my brother to know the difference she made.
Message from A student Russ
August 31, 2017 9:56 PM
Clara was an amazing woman! Her passion for litterateur, theater, for learning and teaching changed and enriched my life. I have bragged about this amazing woman for the last 20 years...may she Rest In Peace and her memory live forever with her friends and family.
Message from Jessica Colinares
October 23, 2017 11:44 AM
Thank you, Russ, for your kind words about my mother. I was missing her terribly this morning and found your entry about her. As you can probably imagine, she was as magnificent a mother as she was a teacher. She knew she wanted to be a teacher from a very young age and teaching gave her so much in return. I appreciate that you took the time to give a bit of your memories of her back to us.
© 2024 Coos Bay Chapel. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS & TA | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility