Claudia was born in Wyoming on Sept. 29, 1948, to Clad and Dorothy Douglas and moved to Fairbanks as a baby with her parents and her older brother Bob. As a child, she worked with her mother, who was postmistress of the North Pole Post Office, to answer letters to Santa from children all over the world. She went to school and college in Fairbanks and was a teacher and counselor for the Fairbanks School District until her retirement in 1998. She later moved to Wasilla, where she made a beautiful home for Vince and Cayce.
Claudia gracefully and courageously lived with ovarian cancer for most of the last decade. During this time she continued to enjoy life and contribute to the world around her. She was a talented writer, an avid reader and loved her new book club group in Wasilla. This spring she was re-elected to the NEA/Alaska Board of Directors. She also recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alaska Democratic Party. She was a delegate to several National Democratic Conventions, including Denver in 2008, and despite serious health concerns she went to the Obama Inauguration in Washington with Vince and Cayce. Then they proceeded to New York to take in a few of the latest Broadway shows.
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She enjoyed music, fashion, the theater, good food and wine, and mostly her husband, son and grandson, family and friends.
Claudia is survived by her husband, Vince Speranza; her son, Cace Van Nostrand; grandson, Cayce Douglas; as well as by extended family in the Lower 48. She will also be missed by close friends in Alaska, California and Nevada.
A memorial service is planned in Fairbanks on June 17 at the Birch Hill Recreation Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Mat-Su, 950 E. Bogard Rd., Wasilla, AK 99654.
Condolences, thoughts or memories may be sent to Vince Speranza, P.O. Box 870628, Wasilla, AK 99687.
Arrangements were with Valley Funeral Home and Crematory in Wasilla.
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