WILMINGTON — Claire Pike Smith, affectionately known as “Mimor” to many, passed away at the age of 87 on April 29, 2025 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Born on October 3, 1937, in Fremont, North Carolina. Claire was the beloved daughter of Evelyn Lewis Pike and Clarence Gurney Pike. She attended Fremont Elementary, Middle, and High School—all housed in the same building—and was a proud member of the Fremont Women’s Basketball team, which competed in the state playoffs. Music was a lifelong passion for Claire, after years of piano lessons, voice and study, she cultivated a deep appreciation for melody. Equally important to her was the cherished circle of childhood friends from Fremont whom she held close throughout her life.
Claire began her college education at Greensboro College before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, she briefly lived in Durham before a dear friend convinced her to take a leap of faith and move to Washington, D.C. The house on 27th Street, in DC, became the setting for many wonderful memories, adventures and lifelong friendships.
In 1964, at a garden party in Georgetown – DC, fate intervened. At the gates of the event, Claire met Emery “Peter” Smith, a diplomat attending the gathering. Both would later say it was love at first sight. Six months later, on April 24, 1965, they married in Fremont Methodist Church and embarked on a life of adventure, traveling extensively throughout Europe. Much of Peter’s later Foreign Service work was spent in Scandinavia, particularly Denmark. In 1971, their daughter was born in Copenhagen. When Peter retired from the Foreign Service in 1977, the family settled permanently in the United States, where Peter transitioned to the private sector, continuing his work in international relations—a role that still involved extensive overseas travel and more adventures for the three of them.
Claire was deeply passionate about environmental conservation and an avid gardener. She held numerous board positions in Washington, D.C., and New York, serving as Vice President of the Rachel Carson Council, President and Vice President of the Springfield Garden Club, and a dedicated member of the Trowel Club. Her love of nature and commitment to sustainability culminated in co-authoring the book Gardening with Nature (1991).
A lifelong Episcopalian, Claire was an active parishioner, vestry member, and committee volunteer at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., for nearly 30 years. Her spiritual journey led her to the University of the South, where she earned a degree in Theology in 2000.
Above all, Claire cherished her family. She is survived by the loves of her life—her grandsons, McCain Patrick Wnek of Charlotte, NC, and Tenneyson Joseph Wnek of Charleston, SC—her daughter, Claire Alexandra Smith Wnek, and son-in-law, John Patrick Wnek, of Wilmington, NC. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Peter, and her parents.
A celebration of Claire’s life will be held at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., with interment at Arlington National Cemetery. The family will have a private service at the site of the Pike family plot in Fremont NC at a later date.
Our family would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the teams who supported “Mimor” and our family over the course of her five years on dialysis. In particular, we would have faced significant financial and personal hardship—impacting both employment and flexibility—had it not been for the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center’s Transportation Division. Thanks to special provisions and funding, the NHCSRC provided transportation to and from dialysis for Claire. This critical service supports transportation for medical and general trips for older adults in the Greater Wilmington area and surrounding beach communities, using federal and state grant funding.
If you have a loved one in need of frequent treatments such as dialysis, infusions, or chemotherapy, you understand the extraordinary physical and financial toll it takes on families. In lieu of flowers, our family would be honored if you considered supporting the organizations that helped us most and, in turn pay it forward, to help others in need…. New Hanover County Senior Resource Center – Transportation 2222 South College Road, Wilmington NC 28403 and/or Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Palliative Care 1414 Physicians Lane Wilmington NC 28401.
Claire was known for her overly long text messages which will now be greatly missed and signature farewell — “HIG” (Have It Good)—a phrase inspired by the Danish Har det godt, meaning “Take Care” or “Be Well.” So, in honor of our dear “Mimor”, we say one final farewell—Har Det Godt!
