Claire Marie Petka

It is with deep love and profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Claire Marie (Jackson) Petka, age 86 of Oxford, Massachusetts. She passed away peacefully on June 7, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

She is survived by her husband Donald, who she was married to for 63 years. They met on a blind date and were married three months later.

She is also survived by her daughter, Bonnie of Millbury, MA; her son Joseph and his wife Kelly of Dracut, MA; her son Lance and his wife Deb of Chelmsford; her brother retired USMC Colonel Dennis “Don” Jackson of Annapolis, MD and treasured sister-in-law, Dorothy “Dottie” Murray of Sutton, MA.

Claire also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren, Mitchell Petka of Chicago, IL; Julia Petka of Salem, NH; Kate Petka of Boston, MA and Joey Petka of Dracut, MA. She was also thrilled to become a great-grandmother last October to Bennett Conway of Salem, NH.

She is predeceased by her dear sister-in-law Maureen (Glover) Jackson.

Born in Newton on April 7, 1940, Claire was the daughter of the late Herbert Willey Jackson and Margaret Mary (Donnelly) Jackson. She attended Our Lady’s Help of Christian School and enjoyed telling stories about the nuns playing basketball with her and her friends.

She enjoyed camping and sitting by the fire at night roasting marshmallows. She loved them burnt to a crisp and her children enjoyed fulfilling her requests. She loved spending time knitting and crocheting and made her children many winter mittens and hats. Claire made a mean pot roast and she never met a potato she didn’t love, but mashed were her favorite. She loved baking cakes and cookies with her children. In an attempt to stretch the dollar, she often quadrupled the chocolate chip cookie recipe without increasing the amount of chocolate chips, leading to some cookies lacking the best part. She loved listening to Moon River by Andy Williams, orange sherbet, red cardinals, colorful earrings and 1000-piece puzzles.

Claire’s greatest joy was spending time with her family. She took great pride in the unity and closeness of her family, including her children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephews and her brother and his wife.

Her family misses her terribly and is heartbroken. For those of you who take the time to read this tribute to Claire, and are able to do so, hug your mum just a little longer the next time you see her. We wish we had.

No matter what, no matter when, no matter where, we love you always.

A private memorial service will be held to honor Claire’s life and memory in the future.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at https://www.dana-farber.org/ or to a charity of your choice.