Claire Louise (Slaughter) Major

     Claire Louise (Slaughter) Major, 85, a resident of Gooding, Idaho, passed away on Saturday February 14, 2026 in Meridian, Idaho. 

     Claire was born September 29, 1940 in Twin Falls, Idaho, the daughter of Walter Arthur Slaughter and Mary Viola (Simonton) Slaughter. She spent her youth in Kimberly, Idaho.

     Claire was a generous matriarch – organizing, connecting, planning, and directing… keeping generations of family and friends close to her heart. She was an educator, a person of sharp intellect and a whirlwind of activity. While she was quite the conversationalist, Claire loved to help others and found meaning in taking action and doing good work. Her strong beliefs and convictions would have served her well as an attorney. She chose to be a teacher like her parents, but she shared that she would have pursued the law if she had been born at a different time. At the University of Idaho, she majored in French, earning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in France after college graduation. Her study in Europe began a lifetime of travel and adventure to all corners of the world. She rarely stopped moving, only resting periodically to read a good book or to play Bridge. In her later years as her body slowed, her faith deepened. She made public her decision to accept Jesus Christ when she was baptized in the Jordan River in Israel in 2018.

     Claire married a fellow traveler, Gary Grant Major, on June 19, 1965 in Kimberly, Idaho. They raised their three sons in Gooding, Idaho and lived there for the rest of their lives. After 60 years of marriage, Gary passed away in November 2025.

     The roles and responsibilities she took on with pride and care can scarcely be covered in this paragraph but some highlights include: a wife; a Mom; a Grandmother; a friend; a French teacher; a real estate agent; a member of the school board; a principal for a regional technical school, ARTEC; an ardent supporter of the University of Idaho and the Tri Delta sorority; a longtime member of P.E.O.; a member of the board of the Gooding United Methodist Church; a supporter of the Gooding Library; and a grant writer for Helping Hearts and Hands. All of the work and relationships have left a legacy. She will be missed by her family, her many, many friends, and the close-knit community of Gooding.

     Claire is survived by her three sons, Marshall (Leslie) of Meridian, Idaho; Mitchell (Erin) of Kernersville, N.C.; and Matt of Pflugerville, Texas; one brother, Richard (Susan) Slaughter of Boise, Idaho; one sister Jane (Gerald) Wood of Nampa, Idaho; six grandchildren: Marshall and Leslie - Kade (Adryanna), Chase (Chelsea), Keera; Mitchell and Erin - Benjamin, Alexandra; and Matt - Wyatt.

     Claire is preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Gary, and her parents, Walter Arthur Slaughter and Mary Viola Simonton Slaughter.

     A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Gooding United Methodist Church in Gooding, with Pastor Amanda Gayle Reed officiating. Services will conclude at the church.

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