Claire’s journey was with friends

Friends and family gathered to farewell Claire Exley who passed away from cancer on 7 September this year.
Claire, 69, was a long-time volunteer and board member of the Katie Rose Hospice in Doonan and spent the last days of her journey in the hospice she so enjoyed working in.
In an interview with Noosa Today in July this year, Claire said it was a pleasure and a privilege to volunteer at the hospice.
After working as a midwife and then retiring from medial reception work, Claire said she was attracted to working in palliative care.
“It’s amazing,” she said.
“Like a labour ward, it’s never dull. The people are amazing.”
Claire said she was battling cancer but wasn’t afraid of dying.
“I haven’t been afraid of dying since I saw my first dead body at 17,” she said.
“Dying, for me, is not a scary thing.”
Claire died in the Katie Rose Hospice on 7 September surrounded by friends, family and work colleagues.
Katie Rose Hospice president Frank Lewins said Claire was a committed volunteer who believed in the idea of the hospice as a caring environment for those in the end stage of their lives, as well being a support for their families.
“She was community focussed,” he said.