Vona Lee La Claire's Obituary
Vona Lee (Jamison) La Claire, 66, of Spotsylvania County passed away, Friday, November 10, 2017 at her home.
She worked at Servmart at Marine Corps Base Quantico for over 30 years. She was a proud Marine and loved to work with and around the Marine Corps.
Vona was a life member of Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department in Spotsylvania, where she was an EMT, ambulance driver, and administrative member for 19 years.
Born on January 31, 1951 in Marion, Ohio to the late James and Grace Jamison. She lived in Marion until she joined the Marine Corps in 1969. After boot camp at Parris Island, SC, she attended the Marine Corps’ Computer Science School at Quantico.
While at Quantico, she met and married her first husband, Jonathan Hirst Boettger. The couple was then stationed together at Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, CA, where on October 30, 1970, they welcome their first child – a beautiful baby girl they named Carol Ann. Unfortunately, the marriage would only last about another year.
Still stationed at Barstow, Vona met the man who would become the love her life, James A. La Claire. They were married in Alexandria on July 6, 1973. Their first son, James Francis, was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital on June 2, 1974.
After her husband returned from a one year unaccompanied tour of Okinawa, Japan, the family was stationed at Camp Pendleton. While there, Vona discovered a love of nursing and went to school to become a Licensed Practical Nurse, and soon after took a job at the La Jolla Veterans Hospital. There she assisted in the care of wounded and injured veterans.
Her husband’s next assignment was a transfer to Long Island, NY, to recruit young people into the Marine Corps. She found that her California nursing license was invalid in New York, so she found a job as a manager of a McDonalds Restaurant. While in New York, her youngest child, Robert Matthew, was born at Bethpage Hospital on August 21, 1987. Shortly thereafter, the family was transferred to MCB Quantico, where Vona began working with the Department of Defense. She worked a few positions at Quantico, most recently at Servmart. Vona was planning to retire at the end of December 2017.
Vona is survived by her husband, James A. La Claire; her sons, James Francis La Claire of Johnson City, TN and Robert Matthew La Claire of Spotsylvania; seven grandchildren, Donna Payne and her husband, Cody, Justin Parnell and his wife, Hope, Christopher Lemons, Catherine Grace Lemons, Callie Nicole Gates, Mary Grace La Claire, and Kennedy Ciera La Claire; three great-grandchildren, Michael, Marcus and Abigail Payne; a brother, Mark Allen Jamison and his wife, Barb; a sister, Melissa Renee Jamison; her aunts and uncles, Richard and Mary Cooper, Judy Hancock, and Bill and Joyce Cooper; her cousins, Lynn, Becky and Ginger; several in-laws; and numerous friends and coworkers, all who will miss her dearly.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Carol Ann (Boettger) Lemons; her mother, Grace Lucille (Cooper) Jamison; her father, James Wilfred Jamison; brother, Richard Eugene Jamison; and brother-in-law, George William La Claire.
Vona’s family will receive friends from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Friday, November 17, 2017 at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 10719 Courthouse Rd, Fredericksburg. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 18, 2017 in the funeral home chapel. Entombment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Condolences to the family may be shared online at foundandsons.com.
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