Claire Hornsby Windham, 76, of Gulf Breeze, FL passed away Thursday, January 4, 2024.

Claire was born on March 25, 1947, in Troy, AL and grew up in Coffee County, AL, in the community of New Hope and the town of New Brockton. She attended both Troy State University and Auburn University, but moves for her husband's military career delayed the completion of her degree. She persevered to finish her bachelor's degree in early childhood education at the University of Montevallo in 1982. She taught kindergarten at Tender Years Preschool in Alabaster, AL, in the 1970s, and at Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Pensacola, FL, in the early 1980s. She joined her husband to work in their business, Aeromechanical, Inc., from 1983 until her retirement in 2014. She was a member of Impact 100 and a Sertoma Club in Pensacola. Her most cherished involvement was with her faith community at Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church, where she served as Lay Leader, the first female Chair of the Administrative Board, and was a member of many committees, including the Staff Parish Relations Committee and the Finance Committee. In addition, she served on the District Committee of Ordained Ministry as well as the Conference Committee of Ordained Ministry for the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. She loved playing in the handbell choir, Breeze Bells, but her most cherished outreach was in congregational care, assisting in serving communion to those unable to attend church. Her proudest accomplishments were her fifty-eight-year marriage to her husband, Dan, her two loving children, and her five "perfect" grandchildren.

Claire is preceded in death by her mother, Buna Faye Hornsby; her father, Leon Hornsby; her brother, Joseph Hornsby; as well as her grandparents, many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and multiple beloved dogs.

Survivors include her husband, Daniel Oates Windham, of Gulf Breeze, FL; her daughter, Jennifer Windham (Scott England) of Santa Fe, NM; her son, Lt Col Daniel Oates Windham, Jr. (Marla Windham) of Macon, GA; as well as her grandchildren, Elizabeth Windham, Maddox England, Mary Daniel Windham, Lily Grace England, and Beck Windham.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 1pm, followed by a service at 2pm, at Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church, 75 Fairpoint Dr., Gulf Breeze, FL. A reception will follow in the Reception Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Memorial Garden Fund, Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church, 75 Fairpoint Dr., Gulf Breeze, FL 32561.

The family would like to express a special thanks to her care providers at Ascension Sacred Heart Cancer Center in Pensacola, FL, and the Sarcoma Clinic at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Heartfelt thanks to all her friends, extended family, neighbors, and fellow GBUMC members who walked alongside Claire and her family during her cancer journey.