Our sweet Clare Iris DeLaMare was lemonade on a warm summer day. She was refreshing, bright, sparkling, and impossible not to love. She filled every room with laughter, creativity, music, and life. She had piercing blue eyes framed by impossibly long eyelashes, a warm smile that welcomed everyone, and a signature little smirk that said she was about to make you laugh. In just fifteen years, Clare loved boldly, laughed loudly, created beautiful memories, and left the people around her infinitely better for having known her.

As the youngest of six children, Clare was adored long before she was born. Her older siblings spent years pleading for one more baby sister, and Clare arrived already treasured. Though she was the youngest, she carried herself with quiet confidence and fierce independence. She wanted to discover life for herself, do things her own way, and write her own story.

Dance was woven into Clare's soul. It was more than one of her greatest passions—it was where she was most completely herself. As a competitive dancer with Creative Arts Academy, she found joy in movement and expression. She was a gifted soloist whose artistry, strength, technique, precision, and remarkable musicality drew people in. She was both fluid and powerful, a rare combination that made watching her unforgettable.

Clare looked forward to rock climbing with her siblings a couple of times each week. She loved the challenge of each route and the satisfaction of reaching new heights. Those evenings became treasured memories, marked by laughter, encouragement, and a shared spirit of adventure.

One of Clare's greatest gifts was her determination. She was never afraid to be a beginner. If she couldn't do something, she simply practiced until she could. She woke up early, stayed up late, stretched for hours, and repeated the same turn, leap, or tumbling pass over and over until it became second nature. She held herself to an incredibly high standard and pursued excellence with quiet determination. She loved to compete and she was always striving to become the very best version of herself. She poured her whole heart into every performance and skill. Whether sending an arch aerial on stage or dancing alone in her bedroom, Clare moved with focus and freedom. Watching her felt like watching every emotion take form. It felt like magic.

Clare was a mermaid at heart. Whether it was the ocean, a swimming pool, or the chilly waters of Bear Lake, Clare never wanted to leave the water. As a little girl learning to swim, she refused to let anyone hold her up. She insisted on figuring it out herself and would only accept help if she lifted a hand from the water and opened and closed it repeatedly. Even then, she expected you to let go as soon as she was ready.

Clare possessed a brilliant and wonderfully creative mind. She was a gifted writer whose words carried honesty and imagination beyond her years. She was a talented artist who noticed beauty everywhere. She firmly believed nearly everything was improved with a little sparkle. If it could be bedazzled, Clare thought it probably should be. She loved drawing and painting, doing her nails, creating meals that were as beautiful as they were delicious, planning parties, singing harmonies, arranging dried flowers, sewing quilts and tailoring clothing, reinventing her wardrobe, and redesigning her room whenever inspiration struck.

“brilliant, funny, deeply thoughtful, endlessly creative, ferociously ambitious & profoundly loved ”

Clare was born to entertain. From the time she was little, Clare was creating songs, telling elaborate stories, learning new tricks on the tramp and on her tumbling track, and gathering everyone around to laugh together and create memories. Her phone was always playing music by Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers, or Adrianne Lenker. According to her Apple Music account, she listened to an average of ten hours of music a day. She loved sunsets, dreamed of someday living beside a lake, adored her dog Rosie, collected dance trophies, enjoyed playing video games (her favorites were Red Dead Redemption 2, Halo, Forza Horizon 4, Minecraft, and Dress to Impress) and watching tv (her most watched shows were Psych, H2O, Star Wars, and Moana). Clare never rushed a story. If you asked for the latest news, you were getting every detail, side plot, and piece of background information before arriving at the point. And that only made the stories better.

One of her family's favorite memories was "CC's Café and Spa." Armed with a notepad and apron, Clare would carefully record everyone's orders before disappearing to work her magic. Soon she would return with specialty drinks, snacks, beautifully arranged dishes, hot rock massages, spa treatments, and anything else her customers had requested. She even provided her own play money, ran a tiny cash register, and provided a bell that could be rung when her services were desired. Her best customers were her mom and dad (a.k.a. Mola and Bumpa) and her brother, Luke. CC’s is just one example of how Clare loved people.

Perhaps nowhere did Clare's tender heart shine brighter than with her nieces. They absolutely adored her, and she adored them right back. She painted their nails, brushed out their ever-tangly hair, taught them dances, made slime, hosted little adventures, and always made time for one more snuggle. She made them feel important, seen, and completely loved.

Behind Clare's bright smile and infectious laughter was a battle that few people fully understood. She carried burdens that were far heavier than anyone should have had to bear. In her writing, Clare gave voice to pain that was often invisible to those around her. Mental illness was part of Clare's life. It shaped many difficult days, but it never diminished her kindness, her humor, her creativity, or her extraordinary capacity to love. The people who knew Clare experienced all of those things alongside her pain.

There is no single sentence that can capture Clare's life. She was complicated, brilliant, funny, deeply thoughtful, endlessly creative, ferociously ambitious, and profoundly loved. She knew real joy, and she knew real suffering.

As we remember Clare, we hold all of who she was—the laughter and the tears, the sparkle and the struggle, the fearless dancer and the girl who quietly carried burdens few could see. We will remember her honestly, love her completely, and miss her always.

Clare is survived by her loving mother, Amy DeLaMare; her siblings, Sage (George Smith), Seth (Hallie DeLaMare), Ava (Owen Hepworth), and Elsa (Winston Jones); her beloved nieces, Eden and Ivy; three grandparents; and countless extended family members and dear friends who will carry her in their hearts always. She was preceded in death by her brother, Luke; her father, Rich; her niece, Willow Smith; and her grandfather, Ron Stout.

To all of Clare’s friends: Thank you for loving her so well. Your friendship brought her laughter, belonging, adventure, and joy. You were a beautiful part of her life, and she treasured the memories you created together. Please don't carry the weight of wondering what more you could have done. Clare's struggles were far more complex than any one friendship could heal. If you knew and loved Clare, know that you made her life brighter simply by being in it.

A Celebration of Clare's Life will be held on:

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 from 7:30–9:30 p.m.

1895 Stone Hollow Dr., Bountiful, UT 84010

A butterfly release will take place at 8:30 p.m.