Claire Pauline Scalise

Claire Pauline Scalise of Bowie died November 26, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. She was 88. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the youngest of 17 children, she moved to Washington, D.C. in 1950.

Claire met her future husband, Gene, while working as a meat wrapper for Giant Food. Their first date was to a Washington Senators baseball game. They married on October 4, 1952, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. A devout Catholic, Claire was devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She prayed her beloved rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily. She was a member of Sacred Heart parish in Bowie. She and her husband retired to Bethany Beach where they joined St. Ann’s parish. Upon his death in 2001, Claire moved back to Bowie.

Claire and Gene raised eight children in a home filled with love, instilling in them a strong faith and a devotion to each other. She enjoyed visiting her children and their families as often as she could. Family meant everything to her and she loved nothing better than gathering together for “skittin’ and laughin’ sessions.”

Claire loved to play bingo, and she was a dedicated volunteer for S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat) for many years. She was a member of the Lady’s Sodality of Sacred Heart, supporting the parish through prayer and service. Everyone she met commented on her beautiful smile.

She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, Ernest ‘Gene’ Scalise; her parents, Gilbert and Monica Covey, and fifteen brothers and sisters. Survivors include one sister, Theresa Faw (Tommy) of Oxon Hill; one son, Gene (Patricia) Scalise of Bowie; seven daughters, Carol Burns (Tom) of Norman, OK, Margaret Mills (Willard) of Clemmons, NC, Donna Collins (Mike) of Glenwood, Deborah Scalise of Bowie, Denise Arenas (Max) of Matthews, NC, Mary Ellen Howard (Mike) of Charlotte Hall, and Angela Pickett (Mike) of Bowie; twenty grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.