Claire C. Herdman

HERDMAN, Claire Cathleen (O'Grady) of Leonia NJ, passed away on December 18th at age 77. Beloved wife of Ralph for 53 years; devoted mother of Ralph Jr., Richard and Robert; loving grandmother of Christina and Lila Herdman. Born and raised in Harlem, Claire was proud of her New York heritage. She graduated from St. Anthony's High School in Greenwich Village. Claire went on to work for the City of Hope Telethon and later was a legal secretary for Senator Jacob Javits and for a prominent New York City law firm. Claire married in 1960 and was a devoted mother to her three boys. In the 1970s, she returned to college and later received a Master of Social Work from NYU. She was a psychotherapist with the Bayonne NJ Mental Health Center for several years and later started a private practice from home, which she operated for the past 26 years. Claire enjoyed extensive traveling with her husband. Her favorite foreign destination was Ireland. Claire was an avid New York Yankees fan. Together with her husband, she visited nearly all the Major League baseball stadiums. Claire was a fan of the arts, particularly Broadway shows and ballet. She loved visiting the great museums of the world during her travels. She was an avid reader and especially enjoyed reading biographies of her favorite entertainers and baseball players. Claire was the very definition of a true-blue friend. Those fortunate enough to know her well could always count on her warm and caring presence and her ability to listen to others and help those in need. This shone through in both her personal relationships and her work as a psychotherapist. She continued to display these caring attributes throughout her life, up until being called home to God. Claire's life will be celebrated on Friday, December 27, 2013, between the hours of 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at Volk Leber Funeral Home, 789 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Funeral services will be held the next day, Saturday, December 28 at 11 a.m. at St. John's the Evangelist Church, 470 Broad Avenue, Leonia, NJ 07605. In lieu of flowers, Claire would have requested that you make a donation to your favorite charity. To view Claire’s tribute page, and for more information, please visit volkleber.com

Claire C. Herdman

December 18, 2013