Claudia Ann Birdpassed away on January 29th at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon NH after a year-long battle with cancer.

Claudia was born October 25, 1946 in Salt Lake City UT, to parents Hughes and Marian Hanchett. She grew up in the small town of McGill NV with her older siblings, Nancy (now Griffin) and Byron. After receiving a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, she made her way to Tucson AZ, where she worked as a bookkeeper for Apache Tire and raised her daughter Nancy (now Dunbar).

Upon becoming an empty-nester, she began to travel more, styling herself the "world's worst birdwatcher." While on a birdwatching trip, she met the love of her life, the appropriately named Lewis Bird. They married in Tucson AZ in 1999, after which they resided in Huntington Beach CA. Soon enough she shed the title of "world's worst," and was leading birdwatching trips with her husband.

Claudia was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and moved to Hanover NH to be close to her daughter. In the last weeks of life she stayed with her daughter, and was able to connect and say goodbye to her grandchildren Sarah and Emma. In her last weekend, her siblings and spouses came to town, and they spent days regaling each other with tall tales and adventures from the past. In typical Claudia fashion, she was alert and cheerful almost right to the end.

Claudia loved to play games of all kinds, including bridge, Words with Friends, and Settlers of Catan, loved to travel, and was famous in the Greens for the smell of her delicious baked goods. Claudia was known as kind and caring to all her friends and family, had a terrible sense of direction, and was quick to laugh, even at herself if warranted.

Claudia is survived by both of her siblings, her daughter, and her two grandchildren. She will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia, next to Lew, at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers or donations to the family, a contribution to the Norris Cancer Center in Claudia's name would be appropriate.