Claire L. Forrester, 95 of Kissimmee, Florida, Passed away Thursday, May 18, 2023, after a brief illness and 95 years of a joyous life in Central Florida. A member of a pioneer Osceola County family, she was born in Kissimmee and enjoyed telling stories of growing up with her siblings Marell, Bobby and Sam in the small, close-knit community.
After graduating from Osceola High School, she attended Stetson University in DeLand before marrying Carlton Forrester in 1951. They had three children, Holly, Michael and David. Parenting became her full-time job for many years and showed her children unconditional love throughout their lives.
Friends were an important part of her life, and she enjoyed spending time with all of them. A trip to The Barn Antiques in Lake Alfred was a regular outing. Shopping was her forte and she spent countless hours in malls, shopping centers and boutiques. On one very long shopping day in the mid-1970’s, she and Holly were accidentally locked inside a store at Colonial Plaza after it closed for the night. Michael, who was waiting in the empty mall, vowed to never go shopping with them again after the experience.
Claire never met a piece of chocolate she didn’t like. She was an avid reader of books and the Bible. Her crossword puzzle solving skills were praiseworthy.
Her parents, Sam and Corrine Lupfer, founded Lupfer Insurance in 1918. Claire worked in the office at 11 Broadway in the 1970’s from time to time.
In 1979, she began work for Walt Disney World, first at Fort Wilderness, then at the Polynesian Resort where she remained until retirement in 1999. She enjoyed taking her children and grandchildren to the parks whenever they visited Kissimmee.
Over the years, she volunteered at Orange Memorial Hospital in Orlando, and later at a food pantry in Kissimmee. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Kissimmee her entire life.
Claire was preceded in death by her son David in 2021. She is survived by her daughter Holly (Travis) Childs of Black Mountain, North Carolina, and son Michael (Jeanine) Forrester of Winter Garden, Florida. She has three grandchildren, Jordan Childs, Lauren (Brian) Richards, and Siena Forrester, and three great-grandchildren, Ever Childs, Camp Childs and Ford Richards.
A graveside service will be held Wednesday, May 31st at 11:00am at Rose Hill Cemetery, 1615 Old Boggy Creek Road in Kissimmee with Rev. Cathy Thacker officiating.