Claire Irene Metayer Obituary

Claire I. Metayer, 85, of Biddeford, passed away peacefully in Scarborough on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born in Biddeford on February 20, 1937, a daughter of Edmond and Alice (Gobeil) Bedard. She was educated at Notre Dame de Lourdes School in Saco. On September 21, 1957, Claire married her beloved husband, George Metayer, at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church, Saco. They settled in Saco where they raised their five wonderful boys: Paul, Gerry, Donald, Norman (Boo Boo) and Leo.

Claire was a deeply caring mother and homemaker, who would do anything for her children and grandchildren. Memere would attend her grandchildren's school outings, watch them play sports and attend all their birthday parties.

She spent 21 years working at Fairfield School in Saco as a Foster Grandparent, where she patiently nurtured children who needed help with assignments, advocated for them when needed and made them all feel loved. Over the past week the family has heard many heartfelt stories from parents and their children about their time spent with Grammie Claire.

Claire had several hobbies and interests, but none compared to her love for Bingo, especially Birthday Bingo which she felt was an especially lucky game. She would go out for Birthday Bingo with whichever child or grandchild whose birthday it was and they would enjoy a meal together before getting down to the serious business of playing! It was definitely an enjoyable time in which she got to spend one-on-one time with them. She could play multiple cards of her own; with quickness and a keen eye, she would also point out overlooked numbers on the cards of those sitting beside her. She enjoyed watching The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, and the Golden Girls. Claire was a devout fan of the New England Patriots, and especially looked forward to watching the Superbowl to see who won the football squares.

When raffle tickets needed to be sold, everyone knew that Claire was to one to go to for successful sales. Year after year she was the top raffle ticket seller for the Foster Grandparent program. She was meticulous about following up with anyone who said "check with me on payday"; she would be sure to find you on payday which made her especially effective.

Claire was known for always being punctual, more often earlier than anyone expected. When her children or grandchildren planned to pick her up at a certain time, she would be outside waiting up to 30 minutes early…which certainly instilled better time management skills in a few family members. She was very thoughtful and always had everyone's birthday, anniversary & holiday cards ready ahead of time. Claire would make sure to call at least a month in advance to arrange for you to pick up the card, and she would always add a little money in it for each person.

For all the things Claire valued and considered precious, there was nothing she cherished more than her family. She will be sadly missed by many.

Claire was predeceased by her husband George Metayer; her son Paul Metayer; her grandson Donny Metayer Jr; her brother Adrien Bedard; and three sisters: Lucille Michaud, Lorraine Labbe, and Aline Bedard.

She is survived by her four sons: Gerry Metayer and partner Sandy McKenney, Donald Metayer and wife Tricha, Norman (BooBoo) Metayer and wife Terry, Leo Metayer and wife Pat. She is also survived by her grandchildren who were the light in her life: Robert Metayer, Shandi Young, Christopher Metayer, Kelsey Stilphen, Adam Metayer, Nicholas Metayer, Alex Metayer, Melissa Knight, and Kirk Metayer; and her eight great-grandchildren, Sage, Jeremiah, Madisyn, Zackary, Dominic, Ginger, Olivia, and Lilly. She is also survived by her two sisters, Rita White and husband Kenneth, and Lucienne Sirois and husband Paul.

Visitation will be from 9:00AM-11:00AM with a Funeral Service at 11:00AM on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Cote Funeral Home Chapel, Saco. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Biddeford.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Claire's name to Foster Grandparents at http://www.opportunityalliance.org please make note that the gift is in honor of Claire Metayer.