Claire Luethe Adams

The family of Claire Luethe Adams will gather on Saturday, October 5 to celebrate her
memory. Claire was 103 years old. She left us Sunday, September 22,2024 to join
her husband, Dr. Marv Adams, son Greg, and grandson Nathan in Heaven.

Claire was born on a farm on Skyline Boulevard, in Portland Oregon, on June 9,
1921. The day she was born, her brother Brooks Luethe went out to the field to
let their father know she was born, saying "Another dirty girl"-his frustration at
being the only boy out of now 5 girls. Her parents were Samuel L�thi (Luethe),
son of Swiss immigrants, and Melinda Jane (Jennie) Brooks Luethe, whose
own parents were children of Oregon pioneers. Claire joined siblings Wilma,
Brooks, Virginia, Ramona, and Irma.

The Luethe children all joined the neighborhood children at the elementary
school on Skyline, where their mother taught from time to time. Claire later
graduated from Scappoose High School. She attended St. Helens Hall, a
private day school in Portland, for a year while waiting to be old enough to attend
nursing school, and then graduated from Good Samaritan School of Nursing in
1943.

Claire met H.M. (Marv) Adams in 1942. He was a student at Oregon State, and
they met while he was working summers on various Washington County dairy
farms for the college. They married on March 20, 1943. Very shortly thereafter
he entered Officers' Candidate School at Fort Lewis, Washington. While he was
away Claire worked as a nurse at Good Samaritan, but several times during his
training she was able to go with him, to Georgia and to La Jolla,California.
Eventually Marv shipped out to Europe, where he was part of General Patton's
Third Army, working their way through England, France, Belgium and Germany.
Meanwhile, Claire was back at work at Good Samaritan.

When WWII was over and Marv returned, they moved to Pullman, Washington,
where he enrolled at Washington State's school of veterinary medicine. He was
able to finish his Oregon State degree at the same time, graduating in 1950 with
his D.V.M. Both their children, Jennifer Layne and Gregory Marv, were born
during those years. After graduation the family moved to Arcata, California,
where he worked among the Basque dairy farmers primarily. Eventually he
wanted to buy his own veterinary practice, and he found a vet in Astoria, Oregon
who was ready to retire. They moved to Astoria in 1955, which got them closer to
Claire's family in Portland.

After a full life of work and raising their family in Astoria, Claire and Marv sold the
vet practice and their home in 1974 and built a home about a mile from Claire's
birthplace, living near her father and siblings. Claire's desire had long been
to be closer to home, and they were able to spend a lot of time with extended
family, including her father, who lived to 101. Their marriage was long and happy,
ending after 58 years with Marv's death in 2001. For many years, Claire
continued to manage the various properties and investments they had made over
the years, and in more recent years she continued to live in her own home down
the street from her daughter with some in-home care.

Claire is survived by her daughter Jennifer Adams Saks (Kraig Saks), granddaughter
Emilie Saks-Webb (Derek Webb) and great granddaughter Matilda Webb, and
grandson Matthew Saks (Kathy Balogh), as well as many nieces and nephews.
Gone before are Claire's husband H.M. (Marv) Adams, son Greg Adams, and
grandson Nathan Saks.


A memorial graveside service will be held at the Phillips Cemetery, Old Cornelius Pass Road, at 1pm, followed by a reception at Claire's home in Rock Creek.