Claire (Rubin) Zammito

Born in Philadelphia, PA on December 6th, 1924 to Isador and Gussie Rubin, she was the youngest of three children. Her older brother Jack and sister Toby were loving siblings to her, and she loved talking about how cherished and thankful she was that her brother Jack took extra time to spend with her in the Bronx, where the family had moved when she was very young. She also talked about how very proud she was of her sister Toby, who was born deaf, and how Claire stood up for her when she was bullied. Claire also helped her learn to speak instead of solely depending on sign language, which allowed Toby to then go on to work as a keypunch operator at Columbia University.

Claire, or "Bubby" as she was called by her grandchildren, went on to work in a millinery after high school, where she sewed clothing and various items for men and women as well as materials for later wartime efforts. She loved to dance and would spend several nights a week dancing after work while still getting up on time to make it to work everyday.

She became a USO Junior Dance Hostess as a teenager, which is where she met her lifetime love and dance partner Louis Zammito. They married on December 20th, 1943 before he was sent off to war. She spent many nights worried about his whereabouts, but he arrived home safely after the war and together they grew their family.

Claire and Louis had four sons during their 66 years of marriage before Louis passed in 2010, and she loved them all: Richard Zammito (Arlene), Gary Zammito (Cecelia), Ron Zammito (deceased), and Dr. Kenny Zammito (Patricia).

"Bubby" had nine grandchildren, all of whom she adored and loved spending time with: Wendy Felsenthal (Jimmy), Rebecca Brittain (Richard), Jacob Zammito (Sabrina), Joanna Loya (Oscar), Julia Zammito, Andy Zammito, Kristina Sarica (Stephen), Kenny Zammito Jr. (Becca), and Alicia RioSeco (Carlos).

She also had seven great-grandchildren that she cherished: Nicholas, Noah, Sage, Kai, August, Ayden, and Adrian.

Claire loved cooking and entertaining friends and family throughout her lifetime in PA, NJ, and FL, and was known for her great homemade food at dinner parties, where everyone was welcomed into her home. She had a great sense of humor and wasn't afraid to tell you what her opinion was.

Bubby was known for how well she kept a home, her beauty and style, wearing heels into her 90s, her way with the Yiddish language, and most importantly her love for her family and friends.

The family would like to thank the caregivers at Aging Care Advocates, specifically Jamie Cooney for her visits, caring attitude, communication with Wendy, and the time spent with Bubby during the last couple years of her life.

Thank you to the staff at Regal and Cypress Palms that took care of Claire and made sure that she had the time to put her makeup on in the morning and gave her the extra love and time she deserved.

Thank you to Suncoast Hospice for making sure that she was comfortable in her last days and hours.

Thank you to Pastor Craig Horton for being friends with both Louis and Claire, and for eulogizing alongside Rabbi Tad Berga as Claire was laid to rest at Serenity Gardens in Largo, FL on Thursday, October 20th, 2022.