Clear, 56° F
(Sept. 14, 1924 - Dec. 30, 2015)
Mass of Christian Burial for Claire Hollcroft, 91-year-old Buffalo resident who passed away early Dec. 30 at the Amie Holt Care Center in Buffalo, was celebrated Saturday, January 2, at 10 a.m. from the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Buffalo with Father Pete Johnson as Celebrant.
Visitation was held from the Harness Funeral Home Chapel on Jan. 1 from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
A Vigil Service was held and the Rosary recited on Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. from the Catholic Church. Interment was in Willow Grove Cemetery with graveside services following the mass. Donations in Mrs. Hollcroft’s memory may be made to the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in care of the Harness Funeral Home at 351 N. Adams in Buffalo. Online condolences may be left at www.harnessfuneralhome.com.
Claire Benedicta Hollcroft was born on September 14, 1924, in Taunton, Massachusetts, to William and Julia Carroll. She grew up and went to school in the Boston area where she graduated from Brighton High School with the class of 1942. After high school she received secretarial training and volunteered in a USO during WWII. It was in a USO Club that she met Leo M. Hollcroft and they were married on June 25, 1944, in Boston, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy.
After the war the couple returned to Wyoming where Mr. Hollcroft went to work for Pure Oil. They moved to Powell in 1948 where they homesteaded a farm on Heart Mountain for 17 years.
They returned to Buffalo and the Hollcroft Family Ranch on Powder River in 1967 where they ranched until retiring in 1983. Leo and Claire enjoyed many winters in Lake Havasu City and Bullhead, Arizona. Mr. Hollcroft passed away in January of 2005 and Claire continued living in Buffalo until her death.
She was a member of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. She was very active in the Buffalo Senior Center and enjoyed spending time with her family.
Claire was extremely proud of her nearly 100% Irish heritage and could track her Irish ancestry back to the 1700’s. Raised in the city with all its amenities, Claire came to a life of hard work and sacrifice that she was soon to love. She loved the ranch life and its wildlife and mountains. She was an extremely social person who would never fail to see the positive in every situation. Her smile was constant and infectious. She was truly adored and will be deeply missed.
She is survived by one son, Leo M. Hollcroft Jr. and his wife Sandy of Sheridan; three daughters, Marilyn Anne Vercimak of Casper, Wyoming, Carol Marie Key and her husband Terry of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Kathleen Anne Hollcroft and her fiancé Harry Love of Arvada, Wyoming; seven grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and one sister.
