Clara Anna Diaz Wells Foster
Former Mattituck resident Clara Anna Diaz Wells Foster of Sebastian, Fla., passed away quietly June 28 at her daughter’s home in Muskegon, Mich., after a short illness. She was 90 years old.
Born in Greenport, N.Y., Oct. 9, 1921, she was one of 13 children of Richard Hillario, born in Spain, and Emma Piccard Diaz, born in Canada.
Clara was a great housekeeper and loved children. She was a very loving, caring and compassionate person. She supported her family and worked very hard making ends meet. She worked on farms picking produce when the kids were young and cleaned houses for several couples. In 1955, she began working at Academy Printing in Southold and worked there 50 years.
When the children grew up they became her second family. She enjoyed working. She was a member of the Mattituck Presbyterian Church for over 50 years. She was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon there, in addition to being involved in other church activities.
Clara was preceded in death by two husbands, Theodore Minor Wells, the father of her children, in 1963 and Charles Robert Foster in 2006. She was also predeceased by her stepson David Wells.
She is survived by her children, William Wells (Joan), of Sebastian, Fla., James Wells (Nancy) of Mattituck, Sheila McKinnon Wilke (Ron) of Twin Lake, Mich., Janet Howard of Muskegon, Mich., and Maryann Hoopingarner (Tony) of Cantonment, Fla., and stepson Theodore Wells (Rita) of Mattituck.
Also surviving are her sisters, Josephine Shencavitz (Joseph) of Vermont, Delores Topping (Earnest) of Alabama and Stacia Wilkinson of New York; and 10 grandchildren: John McKinnon of Michigan, Robert McKinnon (Kelly) of Whitehall, Mich., Russell Wells (Adriana) of Oak Ridge, N.J., Douglas Wells (Kim) of Monmouth Beach, N.J., Wendy Albrecht of New Suffolk, N.Y., James Wells (Cindy) of Mattituck, Robert Howard (Lisa) of Grand Haven, Mich., Walter Howard (Anna) of Big Rapids, Mich., Melaine Hekkema (Duwane) of Twin Lake, Joey Howard (Laura) of Muskegon and Charles Hoopingarner (Jessica) and Tony Hoopingarner Jr. (Holly), both of Cantonment, Fla.
In addition, Clara leaves 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Visiting hours will take place Friday, July 6, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. A service will be held Saturday, July 7, at 11 a.m. at Mattituck Presbyterian Church, 12605 Main Road, the Rev. George Gaffga officiating. Following interment at Willow Hill Cemetery in Southold, a luncheon will be held at the church.
Memorials may be made to Harbor Hospice Hartshorn Centre, 1050 W. Western Ave., Suite 400, Muskegon, MI 49441 or Harborhospicemi.org; or Mattituck Presbyterian Church, for either Loaves and Fishes or John’s Place.
This is a paid notice.
