Claire Wodder Tornwall's Obituary
Claire Wodder Tornwall, 96, died peacefully on July 4, 2023 at Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL. She was born in Aurora, NE into the all Danish community of Kronborg where she learned to speak and write the Danish language.
Later in her life, she had the privilege of visiting her Danish ancestral home. She was a Regent’s Scholar at the Commercial Extension Division of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and later attended the University of Nebraska where she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority.
During World War II, she was a statistical consultant at a B-29 Airfield where she was instrumental in the sale of U.S. War Bonds. It was at Fairmont Army Airfield where she met her husband-to-be, Captain George Edward Tornwall. They were married after the war in September 1946 and lived in Gainesville at the University of Florida, followed by a move to New York City. She, along with her husband, are listed on the Honor Roll of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
She was assistant to the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Florida. She was a long time member of Pasadena Community Church and sang in the chancel choir for many years. She was a member of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Laurel Ridge Country Club in NC, Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club, and Lakewood Country Club where she enjoyed team tennis. She loved nature, gardening and particularly enjoyed the wildlife and birds she could observe at her summer home in North Carolina.
She was pre-deceased by her parents, Niels and Laura Nielsen Wodder, her husband of 59 years, George, a brother Niels Wodder of NE, a sister Anne Birdsall of IA, and a daughter Jane Wolcott of SC.
Surviving are a son, Brad Tornwall (Sherry) of Florida; a daughter, Pat Ross (Mike) of NC; and four grandchildren: Alex Wolcott of VA; Claire Marie Stam (Kyle) of SC; Brett Tornwall (Janelle) of VA; and Derek Tornwall (May) of NC. She is also survived by several great-grandchildren and special caregivers. The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude and appreciation to Brenda Cox and Shatorie Watson for their years of outstanding care and devotion.
Interment will be private at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in the Tornwall Section, Clearwater, FL. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Pasadena Community Church, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), or Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL.
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