Claire Denise Accardi, 73, of Huntsville, died of COVID-19 at Huntsville Hospital. Denise, as she was generally known, was born in Berea, Ohio where she lived until 1954, at which time she moved with her family to Cleveland, Ohio. From there the family moved to Jackson, Michigan in 1958 and lived there until 1961, at which point they resettled in Huntsville, Alabama. Denise lived, for the most part, the remainder of her life in Huntsville with a few detours for work and schooling. She attended Lee High School, Huntsville High School and graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in Cullman, Alabama in 1965. From there she attended Webster College in Webster Groves, Missouri, eventually graduating from UAH with a degree in Art History.
She had many varied and interesting jobs in her life beginning with being an operator with the telephone company in Huntsville and briefly in Cleveland, Ohio. Among her jobs were the Huntsville Museum of Art, CSC, Essex (where she worked as a technical writer on the training manual for the Hubble Telescope trainer) and the National Speleological Society (at the time a division of the Smithsonian Institution). Her favorite job, however, was with the Huntsville-Madison County library and, as it turned out, was to be her last.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Jeanne (Burns) Accardi. She is survived by her brother, James Accardi (Marian) of Huntsville; sister, Joan Lankford (Reginald) of Olympia, Washington; and nephews, Burns Accardi (Allison) of Littleton, Colorado and Evan Lankford (Olympia, Washington); and niece, Hollon Accardi of Huntsville.
While Denise never married or had biological children, the one shining light in her life was her “goddaughter” Kellei Jefferson Johnstone. Kellei regarded Denise as a second mother (her “Nenny”) and they shared many memories throughout life. Denise gave Kellei a love of Piccadilly Cafeteria, art history, Monty Python, Absolutely Fabulous, and NPR. They cared deeply for each other. Denise was extremely proud when Kellei welcomed twins, Ava and Eli, in 2011 and followed their every step in life. She is also survived by her dear friend, Donna Goff.
To the people in her life who emulated Christ by treating her with patience and kindness, thank you. May she find the joy and peace in the afterlife that eluded her in this life and may she be welcomed into the open arms of her mother, who loved her very much.
No services are planned at this time.
