Claire T. Higgins, 96 of Ashland passed away Thur. Oct. 27 ^th with her family by her side.  She was the daughter of the late John and Mary (McCann) Shea and wife of the late Harold C. Higgins Jr.  As a young woman, Claire worked as a switchboard operator at Raytheon Co. and later worked as a receptionist at Bethany Healthcare in Framingham.  A devout parishioner of St. Stephen's church in Framingham, she was active in the St. Stephens Mothers Guild.

Mrs. Higgins is survived by four children; Mary Frere and her husband Eric of Winthrop; John Higgins and his wife Annmarie of North Kingstown, RI; Ann Mackay and her husband Mark of Ashland; and Hal Higgins and his partner Kathy of Ashland; nine grandchildren; Chloe and Paul Frere, Jack and Luke Higgins, Tim, Andrew, and Mark Mackay, and Matthew and Michael Higgins, and ten great grandchildren.  She was the sister of the late John Shea, Marguerite Shea, Eileen Glora, Roger Shea, Marie Vaughan, and Kathleen McCarthy, and mother in law to the late Janice (Palladino) Higgins.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wed. Nov. 2 ^nd at 10:00am in St. Stephen's Church, 221 Concord St. Framingham, MA with burial to follow in Wildwood Cemetery in Ashland.  Visiting hours will be held Tue. from 3:00-7:00 PM in the Matarese Funeral Home, 325 Main St. Ashland, MA.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Bethany Healthcare, 97 Bethany Rd. Framingham, MA  01702 or the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 465 Waverly Oaks Rd., Ste. 202, Waltham, MA 02452