Claire R Kilday ’49 (NUR)

Claire Rosalie (Ryniec) Kilday, 94, formerly of Bristol, widow of Walter Warren “Doc” Kilday, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2022. Claire was born in New Britain, CT on September 21, 1928 and was the youngest of two daughters of the late Chester and Rose (Kozlowski) Ryniec.

She attended UCONN and there she met her husband who she once characterized as one of the “big men on campus”; not because of his height but probably because he was the co-captain of the 1948 National Champion UCONN soccer team. In 1949 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from UCONN.

During her nursing career, she worked as a registered nurse at the former Grace New Haven Hospital (where Yale New Haven Hospital now stands) as well as a few other hospitals in the Connecticut area before retiring to raise her four children. She lived in Bristol for 67 years at the same address before moving into assisted living at Mulberry Gardens in Plantsville for a year and a half in 2021. She was satisfied to be a homemaker who dedicated her life to raising her children and caring for her family. She showed her love for her family through her deeds.

She was an avid basketball fan who loved “UCONN Country” and financially supported her alma mater. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She and her late husband were longtime members of the Chippanee Country Club in Bristol. She enjoyed playing golf, attending country club functions, reading romance novels, and spending quality time with family and friends.

She leaves behind, her son Michael and daughter-in-law Deborah (Tosun) Kilday; her daughter Janet and son-in-law Jeffrey Doran, and daughter Judy Kilday. She also leaves behind four beloved grandchildren: Kyle David and his wife Katherine (Stewart) Kilday, Patrick and his wife Merve (Aydin) Doran, Colleen Doran and her wife Jasmin Dendariarena, and Laura Doran. In addition, she leaves behind four beloved great grandchildren: Violet and Lucy Kilday, and Liam and Kiera Doran. She was predeceased by her husband Walter, her grandson Jonathan, her daughter Eileen, and her sister Irene (Ryniec) Rosinski.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to UCONN Men’s Soccer, 2095 Hillside Rd., Unit 1173, Storrs, CT 06269, or to the UCONN school of Nursing. Her family wishes to thank the health care workers and hospice team at Jerome Home in New Britain for their superlative care, as well as the compassionate care she received at Midstate Medical Center in Meriden immediately prior to entering Hospice, and the excellent care she received at Mulberry Gardens in Plantsville.