It is with heavy heart that Clara’s family announces her passing. But the sadness we are experiencing at losing her is mitigated by the knowledge that she lived 100 years. A full life, one dedicated to doing what she loved most: caring for others, be they family, friend or stranger.
The third eldest of 10 children born to Chester and Viola (nee Bigert) Ratynski, she was known to be a comforter to many in their illness or end-of-life. While not themselves, people of great means, she and her late husband, Stanley, always found a place in their home and heart for those they found to be in need (at times from as far away as Poland). A devout Roman Catholic, she will be remembered as a woman of deep faith, a devoted daughter and wife, a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, a caring sister and aunt, a helping neighbor.
She was preceded in death by her husband and eight siblings.
She is survived by her daughter, Rosalind Becker with whom she spent her final years in North Carolina and her son, Leon (wife Jocellyn); grandsons, Joshua (wife Ashley) Becker and Brian (wife Gina) Schultz; great granddaughter, Adelaide Schultz, sister, Maureen Andersen; sister-in-law, Harriet Ratynski; nieces and nephews and her faithful “grand-cat”, Pasha.
To that list, she did not want omitted long-time neighbor and friend, Fran Gallardo and her children, Dan Gallardo and Francesca Allen (husband Bud). Living “just up the road”, they were always graciously available whenever needed.
Until relocating to North Carolina, she was a lifetime member of St. Stanislaus RC Church in Pine Island, NY and it’s Rosary Society, as well as the Ladies Auxiliary of the PLAV Chapter 16.
It was her wish to be memorialized by gestures reflective of her time on earth: by planting a seed or tree to give back to the earth what was taken from it; by providing for the care and stray or abandoned animals; by performing random acts of kindness and generosity.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 13, 2026 from 9-10:45 a.m. at T.S. Purta Funeral Home, 690 County Route# 1, Pine Island, NY 10969.
A funeral mass will be held 11 a.m. Friday, March 13 at St. Stanislaus Church, 17 Pulaski Hwy., Pine Island, NY 10969.
Burial will be in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Pine Island, NY.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Warwick Valley Humane Society, PO Box 61, Warwick, NY 10990 or to the Humane Society of Charlotte, 1348 Parker Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the T.S. Purta Funeral Home.
To send a condolence online, please go to www.purtafuneralhome.com.