Mary Barbara Clair (Nichols), “Barbara” to those who knew her, died February 6, 2019, in Frankfort, Kentucky. She was 83. She is survived by her son, Christopher, nieces Lucy Nichols and Barbara Forrest, and many dear friends acquired through a life on the move.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene E. “Gene” Clair, Jr., her brother Robert Nichols, and her parents Earle and Pauline Nichols. Barbara was born in Chicago, the daughter of an Army Colonel. As an Army brat, she lived in Kansas, Virginia, Paris and Seoul.
Eventually she settled in San Francisco, where she met Gene. They married in 1962. Barbara wanted nothing more than to settle in one place, but she married a good man with a bad case of wanderlust and a career that put him on the road for weeks at a time.
Barbara followed Gene to Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, back to California and eventually to Oregon, where they finally settled in 1979. A lifelong reader and lover of books and magazines, Barbara lived with Gene in the Summerfield community in Tigard, a Portland suburb, for many years before moving to Kentucky in 2017. She passed away peacefully with her son and daughter-in-law Kimberly at her side.
A private celebration of life will be held for friends and family. Burial will be with Gene at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Nicholasville, Kentucky. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tigard Public Library Foundation, www.
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