Claire Flora Halpin

January 11, 1980 – June 14, 2023

With great sadness I announce the sudden passing of my beloved daughter Claire in Chicago, Illinois.

Claire was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, with brief periods in Ottawa and Pine Falls. Her secondary education was at Institut Collégial Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg.  She graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago (BA.Arch) and McGill University (M.Arch).

Her career as an architect spanned many years and included significant projects at Studio Gang where she worked for more than 15 years. She recently established her own firm Atelier Luftgarden, and taught a design studio about restorative landscapes at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Claire was a dedicated birder and was active in Bird Friendly Chicago, Chicago Ornithological Society, and Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.  In both her professional and personal life Claire concentrated her efforts in sustainability and living in true harmony with the environment.

Claire learned to play the violin as a young girl, and for many years she played fiddle with her band Sinner’s Friend, and more recently with the Band of the Calumet. She was a gifted violinist and inspired musicians and audiences alike whenever she performed.

She was a member of the Lincoln Park Boat Club and rowed several times a week at the Eleanor Boat House in Bridgeport, in the neighborhood she lived in for 15 years.

All who knew Claire and interacted with her know that, though small in stature and quiet in demeanor, Claire’s heart was enormous as was the impact she left on all of those around her.   Her talents were broad and deep, her energy was boundless, and her commitment to the work of conservation was as firm as her smile was soft.

She is survived by her mother Janet, her aunt Helen, uncles Ron (Françoise) and Brian, cousin Sarah (Pablo) and their children Yann and Noémi, cousin Alexei (Melanie) and their son Hugo, and by her many friends and colleagues.

If you want someone you love to remember you forever, become a birder.  Every morning when I awake to birdsong, or a hummingbird flits past my window, or I hear a woodpecker tapping away in the forest, I think of my beautiful daughter.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 am, Friday, September 29, 2023 at Promontory Point, 5491 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL.

To view the dedication to Claire by Chicago Birder, please click here.