Clarence came to the Friendship Center
in 1986. Repeated attempts to find him a
more permanent home were to no avail because Clarence had decided we were his
family and here he stayed for close to 20 years until his health forced us to
move him to Walnut Hill Convalescent Home right up the street.
Clarence Harold Brayne was born in Berlin on March 19, 1926. He was cared for by his parents until they
died and somehow ended up at Connecticut
Valley Hospital
for 25 years. When he came to us, he had
taken a weekend pass from CVH. He never
returned. They closed his case.
In the beginning Clarence was very volatile. Whenever he was confronted with something
unfamiliar or different, he would rant and rave. For each state of his stay with us, Clarence
would "choose" a staff person or fellow resident who would take special care of
him. There was Kevin, Ellen, Thomas,
Miss Barbara, Steve, Sylvia, JoAnn. But
none did as much for Clarence as his final "chosen one" Rachael.
Rachael took Clarence to the beach, brought him to the
Foodshare Walk Against Hunger, bought him spiffy new clothes, treated him to
burgers at the diner, took him for drives.
We can hear him now walking down the staff hallway calling out,
"Rachael, Rachael. Where's
Rachael?" And when he went to Walnut
Hill, Rachael stayed with him, washing his clothes every week, visiting him
regularly and assured he was well cared for.
Nothing less was acceptable for her Clarence.
Clarence had a special friend at the Friendship Center,
a petite African American woman named Esther.
Day after day, year following year they sat across from each other in
the Tomasso Community Dining Room. They
rarely spoke but each was completely aware of the other's presence. On Esther's last day at the Friendship Center
she was taken to see her doctor. She would
die three weeks later at New
Britain General Hospital.
As Esther arose from her chair, Clarence
looked at her tenderly and said, "Esther, don't forget your pocketbook."
Our beloved Clarence died on Wednesday March 10th
at 9:45 a.m., just shy of his 84th birthday. He died peacefully in his sleep and, when he
did, a piece of the Friendship
Center died with
him. He will be buried next to Esther at
Fairview Cemetery. The Friendship
Center will hold a Memorial Service to
honor Clarence on Monday, March 15th at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel at South Church,
90 Main Street, New Britain.