Obituary of Carolyn Jeanette LaClair
EAST GREENBUSH –
Carolyn Jeanette LaClair passed away the afternoon of May 14, 2025 in her home in East Greenbush, NY with her family by her side. She was predeceased by her parents, T. Maynard LaClair and M. Isabel Bond LaClair, her brothers, Louis M. and Thomas D., Thomas’s wife, Esther Elsey LaClair, and her brother-in-law, William S. Laney. She is survived by her sister, Luella Fairley LaClair Laney, several nieces, nephews, cousins and their beautiful families.
Jeanette was born at her grandparent’s house in South New Haven, NY at the end of a bitterly cold winter on March 11, 1934. She grew up on her parents’ farm less than a mile from where she was born. It was a working farm that started out as a poultry business and transitioned into a dairy farm. From grades 1 through 8 she went to school in a one room schoolhouse just a stone’s throw from her home. For grades nine through twelve, she attended school at Mexico Academy Central School District (MACS), graduating in 1951 as valedictorian of her class and earning a scholarship to Syracuse University. Her major was home economics.
Jeanette taught home economics for a few years, travelling between junior highs in Black River/Evans Mill and then in North Syracuse. During those years she completed her master’s degree from SU. In 1959, after her parents were killed in a tragic automobile accident, Jeanette made a teaching career change and took a job teaching second grade in MACS, completing a second master’s degree in elementary education. At that time, she chose to keep the family farm and provide a home for her sister who was 16, but discontinued dairy farming. Jeanette worked tirelessly to improve the learning environment of her students by creating much of her own materials and trying to instill a love of learning and reading. The goal was to plant the seeds of curiosity and help prepare them for the next stage in their lives. She used her own musical and artistic abilities to try to make learning interesting and fun. While teaching, she kept updating her own teaching techniques and education through workshops and courses. She became an active member of the MACS Teachers’ Association and at one time served as its president.
In 1992, Jeanette retired and pursued her interest in flowers, trees, and taking in stray cats and dogs. She loved to read – a passion fueled by her undeniable intellectual curiosity and love of countless subjects and genres, even sports. Much of the open fields on the farm were planted to trees and flowers were planted all around the house. She enjoyed feeding the birds and watching wildlife across the beautiful landscape. In 2017, she was inducted into the MACS Alumni Hall of Fame. An automobile accident in 2011 forced her to give up many of her outdoor activities. Her brother-in-law passed away shortly afterward and Jeanette moved into her sister’s home to recuperate. A year later she and her sister relocated to the farm until 2021. She and her sister decided to move closer to Luella’s children in the Albany area. She enjoyed being near family and having her niece and nephew help with her health care. In the past year her health deteriorated, having difficulty with mobility and had numerous doctors’ appointments and hospital stays.
The family wishes to thank all of the caregivers – doctors, nurses and aides who showed great compassion and concern for her in the Oswego, Syracuse and Albany areas. Per Jeanette’s wishes she will be cremated and her ashes will be buried in the New Haven Cemetery. There will be no calling hours or funeral. In lieu of flowers, she would appreciate donations directed to the Oswego County Humane Society, 171 Mitchell Street, Oswego, NY 13126.
