Claire Rose Hellstern of Chicago passed away on January 21, 2006 surrounded by her family after a short but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Her beloved include her late father Francis; her mother Rose Mary; her sister Mary Jo (Charles) Stelzner; her brothers Don (Paula) and Bob (Lois) Hellstern; and nieces and nephews. Claire was an outspoken woman who was deeply committed to her family and community. As a registered nurse, Claire worked in several Chicago inner city clinics and most recently at the Advocate Health Care Clinic. She received a B.A. in Nursing from Northeastern University. Claire was a female pioneer in the area of Sports journalism, covering professional sports in the Chicago area. Her interest in sports lead Claire into supporting and advocating for the Negro Baseball League for 15 years. Her role as pro-bono agent for Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe was instrumental in the long overdue recognition of outstanding players of this league. Claire has been featured in a number of books by Studs Terkel and Mike LaVelle as an example of a fearless individual devoted to helping the poor and oppressed in the community. Visitation January 26, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock, Illinois on Thursday, January 26, 2006 from 11 a.m. until the Mass at 1 p.m.
