Claire T. Teska

Claire Therese Teska, who died from complications of dementia on March 14, 2026, led a vibrant and exciting life. She and her twin sister Catherine were born in Boston, Mass., in July 1936 during the height of the Great Depression. Her parents, John and Katherine Leonard, were of Irish descent; her father had immigrated from Ireland in the early 20th century. The family of six included older twins siblings, Eugene and Elaine born in January 1926. Claire graduated from Salem Teachers College with a degree in education in 1958, which would lead to her career in elementary education; she later earned a master’s in education from Michigan State. In July 1962, she married U.S. Army 1st Lt. Thomas E. Teska while living and teaching in West Germany. They would spend the next 26 years as an Army family until Tom’s retirement in 1988, living in many locations around the world – Okinawa, Japan; West Germany again, the United Kingdom, and Italy as well as Army postings in the U.S. – Texas, Virginia, and Hawaii. Despite the many moves Claire never completely lost her Boston accent! The family would grow to five with the addition of three children – David, Elizabeth, and John. Claire took care of her young children during Tom’s two assignments to South Vietnam in 1966-’67 and 1970-’71. Claire here also loved two daughters-in-law Kristy (David) and Christine (John) and her five grandchildren – Stephen, Sidney, Laura, Rachel, and Julien. Starting in 1999, Claire and Tom spent the spring and summer months in Cork, Ireland, a routine they continued until 2013. In between time spent in Ireland Claire and Tom spent the winters in Denver where she was living at the time of her death. Claire had a profound effect on the lives of her family and those of the many children and young adults she taught and mentored in the classroom, a legacy that will continue.