Claire Connolly, 1934–2026, longtime resident of Waltham

Claire M. (Kennedy) Connolly, of Waltham, died Thursday, May 14, 2026 at Benchmark Senior Living in Acton. She was 91.

Claire was born in Lawrence on May 28, 1934, a daughter of the late Francis and Catherine (Dineen) Kennedy and was a graduate of Lawrence High School and the Katherine Gibbs School.

A lifelong resident of Waltham, she and her family spent many happy summers at their home at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

Until her retirement, Claire was an administrative aide at Meadowbrook School in Weston and before that held the same position at Phillips Exeter Academy.

She was a devoted member of Our Lady’s Parish in Waltham. A talented dancer, she and her late husband, Pete, were longtime members of the Waltham Ballroom Dance Club.

The wife of the late Irving “Pete” Connolly, she leaves her children, Kathleen M. McClemmy of San Juan Capistrano, California and Peter J. Connolly of Carlisle.; her grandchildren, Sean and Patrick McClemmy and Paul Connolly; and her cousin, Jacklyn Collett Graves.

Family and friends will honor and remember Claire’s life by gathering for a morning wake in Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham on Monday, May 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. followed by her funeral mass at 11:30 a.m.