Clare L. Desjarlais, 90, loving wife of Melvyn A. Desjarlais, passed into the hands of the Lord on May 27,2026 at her home in The Villages, following a lengthy illness.
Born on November 8,1935 in Mattapan MA, a suburb of Boston, Clare was the daughter of Francis and Mary E. (Lydon) Gillis. She was a graduate of the Jeremiah E. Burke School for Girls and the College of the Albemarle.
Clare was not dealt the best hand when she was born, but she played the cards she was dealt and she played them well. As a young girl, Clare had wanted to be a “Dress Designer” but the opportunity did not present itself. When her daughter Michelle was ten years old, Clare did not have enough money to purchase a particular coat for her. A neighbor said, “Why don’t you make her one?” So, Clare bought a secondhand Singer sewing machine and proceeded to design simple dresses for Michelle as well as a navy-blue coat with large white buttons and white collar. Then it was time to try out designs for herself. People were amazed and complimentary about her talent. She also made tailored bedspreads, curtains, valances, and pillow cushions.
Clare met her husband Mel while working at the Naval Plant Representative Office, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, CT. In 1983, Clare decided to leave Connecticut to start a new career as a Contract Specialist at the U.S. Coast Guard Aircraft Repair and Supply Center, in Elizabeth City, NC. This was quite a culture shock for a New England girl to move to a small southern farming town. But true to her nature, Clare quickly adapted to her new surroundings. Shortly thereafter Mel joined her in Elizabeth City, where they were married. Upon her retirement from the Coast Guard in 1996, Clare and Mel built their dream “retirement” home in Isle of Wight, VA. In 2010, six years after Mel’s retirement, Clare convinced him to move farther south to The Villages.
After she retired, Clare tried her hand at many things, including watercolors. One day, she saw a newspaper picture of Pope John Paul and proceeded to paint that picture – twice! She was thrilled when a friend asked for one of those paintings to give to a religious friend in Ohio.
Clare met life head-on, whether it was work or play. She was courageous, honest and fiercely loyal to her family and to her friends. She loved to swim, ballroom dance and play cards, especially duplicate bridge and cribbage. She belonged to Unit 110 Duplicate Bridge Club in Newport News VA and Unit 128 in The Villages. True to her roots, she had a fondness for bluegrass music. She was a wonderful and adventurous cook and baker. Mel said she never prepared a meal he did not like and her pound cakes and babka were absolutely fantastic.
In her final two years on this Earth, Clare was placed in the care of Cornerstone Hospice. The care she received from the Cornerstone staff was unfailingly outstanding and the family wishes to recognize all those at Cornerstone who gave so freely of their time and love.
Besides her husband of 42 years and best friend Mel, Clare is survived by her daughter Michelle M. DiCesare of The Villages; sons Rick Grigas (Stephanie) of The Villages; and Paul E. Grigas, of West Haven CT; and grandsons Paul E. Grigas Jr, Jonathan A. Grigas and Zachary V. DiCesare. She was predeceased by her first husband, Frank Grigas; brothers Francis Gillis and Thomas D. Gillis; and sisters Anna E. Lavoie, Barbara G. Gillis and Lillian Thissell. Other survivors include sisters-in-law Paula Gillis, Ashland MA and Maryann Bettilyon, Nashua, NH, and a host of loving nieces and nephews.