My friend Claire O'Callaghan was an amazing woman who was always thinking of others before herself. She was absolutely the best at dancing which she loved and enjoyed with all her heart. For the rest of us it was a pleasure to watch how talented she was.
Although she and her beloved husband George were not blessed with any children of their own, Claire was an inspiration and an idol to many little girls who attended the local ballet school which Claire established. We all miss her and wish she was still here with us, inspiring us to love life and each other as much as she did.
With love your best friend Caroline Watson.
Claire O'Callaghan was born on 5th May, 1930 in a small coastal town Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. Her mother Mary was an actress in a local theatre, she was very beautiful, admired by many men, especially by her husband Charles Campbell, who was a fisherman.
Claire had an older sister Blaire and brother John. It was soon obvious that she inherited her mother's beauty and talent. She loved to accompany her mother to the theatre, never missed a single rehearsal and when nobody looked, she pretended to be a famous actress herself. She was a very lively girl, it was very hard to keep her still. Most of all she loved dancing, especially she had a passion for ballet. She became a little ballet star who loved to be in a centre of attention. At her grandmother’s in Rosses Point, Ireland she met her future husband George O’Callaghan.
At the age of eighteen Claire's parents sent her to an eminent dance academy in New York to study ballet dancing. She was one of the best students in her class with a prospect of a very promising future. Unfortunately, next year she suffered a serious injury of her ankle that forced her to forget about a career of a professional dancer. She moved to her grandmother's house and soon married George who was a fisherman like her father.
Claire always thought that George was her soul mate and they were crazy about each other. Because of his job, George often went for long journeys on the sea. Not to be alone and to keep herself occupied she started to attend a local theatre and soon became one of the crew. Among the actors she found many devoted lifelong friends.
George and Claire could not have children but even though they had a very happy marriage, they were quite alike. They shared a similar view on life and its priorities. They lived for a moment and for each other.
After she lost George, she tried to find something else to live for. She established a little ballet school in Rosses Point where she taught little girls how to dance. She named it after George in hiss honour. Since that time she devoted all her time and energy to the school, it became her biggest interest and her pride. The little school became quite well known and respected. Although Claire had many admirers she never got married again, she had never forgotten George. Still her life was much fulfilled, she had many friends and she was a very popular and respected woman.
She died calmly in a sleep in her bed on 2nd October 2011.
Caroline Watson
1930 — 2011
date of birth:
5.5.1930
date of death:
10.2.2011
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