Clara Myette, 103
Clara Myette passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026. A beloved wife, daughter, sister, aunt, neighbor, and friend, she was 103.
All but six years of her life, Clara lived in Acton. Born to Clara and Edward Cassidy in West Acton, the eighth of nine children, Clara attended Acton High School. During the Great Depression, she left high school at 16 in order to help her family make ends meet. She found work at The Allen Chair Factory at the Bradford Mill in West Acton.
Around the same time, Clara met the love of her life playing “Spin the Bottle.” James Myette, who was too shy to kiss Clara, asked her to go steady. When World War II began, and Jim was sent to fight overseas, he told Clara that if she would wait for him, he promised to marry her and build her a house. In 1951, Clara married Jim and they moved into their new home on Sudbury Road. Many of Jim’s friends, including the Verrill brothers, helped him build the house. Clara furnished their home with pieces that she assembled herself.
As a newlywed, Clara soon became a busy wife of a Acton firefighter, making meals for the firemen on duty and attending and hosting lots of parties. In their free time, Clara and Jim were inseparable and shared many interests. While they were not able to have children, Clara was a devoted aunt to her numerous nieces and nephews.
In the late 1970s, after the furniture plant shut down, Clara, a meticulous homemaker, decided to try her hand at housekeeping. The wives of doctors in Acton sought her out to keep their homes in good order. Around that time, good fortune shined on them when they won a $100,000 lottery prize. With the winnings, they bought a house on Cape Cod.
As a widow, Clara became an active member of the Acton Council on Aging and enjoyed spending time with friends and Sudbury Road neighbors Jean Maestre, Animesh and Suresh Bhatia, and Susan Frey.
Clara is survived by several nieces and nephews.
There will be a private graveside service at St. Bernard’s Cemetery officiated by Rev. Hannah Brown from the West Acton Union Church.
Arrangements under the care of Acton Funeral Home, concordfuneral.com.
