Claire Hornby (Photo courtesy of Claire's Crew and Facebook)
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — A Celebration of Life to honor a 10-year-old girl who made her mark in the Wausau community was held Saturday.
Claire Hornby captured the hearts of many around the Wausau area during her battle with cancer and an inoperable rare brain tumor that started a little over a year ago in 2019. Claire passed away on September 8th, 2020 at the age of 10 after being diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. A Celebration of Life was held in Claire’s honor on Saturday afternoon at Wausau East High School.
Clare’s mother, Kirsten Hornby tells WAOW-TV being able to have a funeral for her is another way to honor her legacy. “Doing this service, and having this time together, is one of the ways that we can care for Claire, that we continue to care for Claire and her legacy.”
Many who were touched by Claire came to her Celebration of Life on Saturday, including her former daycare teacher Ashley Burke. “Claire was in my daycare class when she was 2. She was such a sweetheart, such a sweetheart, super silly, she was so much fun to have in my classroom. … It was very sad. It didn’t seem real at first.”
Claire spent the last few months of her life working to complete a bucket list that included items like working with animals, Goat Yoga, New York City, a demolition derby, and going to the ocean. Her bucket list quest inspired many, even people she had never met like her grandparents’ friends traveling hundreds of miles just to say goodbye.
When asked what Claire would think of the people who came out to her Celebration of Life service Kristen said, “I think she’d be humbled. And might feel a little bit overwhelmed by the attention as she did throughout her cancer journey.”
Some of Claire’s classmates and their families have arranged a virtual run/walk in honor of Claire for next Saturday. Any proceeds raised by the run/walk will benefit St. Judes and the Hornby family. You can find more information about the run/walk at the events Facebook page.
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