Claire E. Grossman, 44, an advertising executive, died of cancer Sunday, July 22, in her home in Portland, Ore. The Evanston native worked for Amnesty International and as a community development officer in London and an urban planner in New York. Then she became an executive at several New York advertising agencies. Most recently, she was strategic planning director at Wieden & Kennedy in Portland. She earned a bachelor's degree in American history from Mt. Holyoke College and a master's in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is survived by her husband, Paul Sonnenschein; a daughter, Margot; a son, Carl; her parents, Allen and Gale Grossman; and a sister, Amy G. Raine. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 5 at Temple Beth Israel in Portland.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-07-25-0107250276-story.html
Robyn Yale
Claire and I spent a lot of time together in grade school. How can it be so long ago that we both had braces, wore ponytails, played the flute?? She was smart and sweet, and a big smiler. The years go by so quickly....
Robin Kopech (Berk)
I was friends with Claire, Liz Klein and Wendy Leviton. I can't believe both Claire and Liz are gone; both were bright, wonderful women. Lost touch with Claire and Liz when we all went off to college. What a loss.
Erica (Riki) Lippitz
I had the privilege of re-connecting with Claire circa spring 1987. She saw a notice in the paper about my becoming a cantor, and asked me to officiate at her wedding. I did so in NYC, and it was so very meaningful to offer this gift of a ceremony to such an old, dear friend.
I was completely shocked to hear of her passing not so many years later. I hope she was able to accomplish a portion of the hopes and dreams that she carried for her life.
Andrea Barnett
Somehow, hearing of the loss of a childhood friend is, for me, even though we did not stay in touch, an incident that drives home how important it is to live your life to the fullest as much as you can every day. Claire was a best friend growing up. We both had long hair, were told we looked alike and I remember fondly the time we had together. She lived walking/biking distance from me on Central Park. Also -- a note of memory trivia -- her mother bought a real, wooden telephone booth on a public television auction and put it inside the front of their house. That made me think her mother was very cool.
Suzanne Katz (Harney)
Claire was an acquaintance, I did not know her well. She was a good friend of another friend of mine, Debby Graham. I heard she had passed away from my sister, Clarissa, who was involved with the yearbook, as Claire had been. She was the editor of our yearbook. I heard that she had married a doctor and was living Malibu. She left two young children behind and died rather young. It has come to my attention that Debby has some serious health issues. I am posting this for her as I know just how close the two of them were. Claire was beautiful and brilliant. It was awfully sad to learn of her passing at such a young age. I will say that I have lived in Malibu too. I had a family friend that had a beach house right in the colony. There is no finer view and if I had to choose my last view, that would be it.