Obituaries

His wife of 62 years, Mildred Lewis Ellyson Court, died in 2005.

Survivors include seven children, Kenneth Court of Easton, Md., Lawrance Court of West River, Sarah Court Rohrbach of Harwood, John Court of the Azores, Portugal, William Court of Tokyo, Anthony Court of San Diego, and Helen Glenn Court of Chevy Chase; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Mary Elizabeth ClareWriter, Performer

Mary Elizabeth Slattery Clare, a former federal employee, amateur performer and freelance writer, died of cancer March 1 at her home in Chadds Ford, Pa. She was 70; she was born on the leap year date of Feb. 29, 1936.

Mrs. Clare worked as a writer and editor for various federal agencies, including the Government Printing Office, the National Park Service, the National Cancer Institute and the Bureau of Mines, from which she retired eight years ago. She freelanced travel articles to a variety of publications, including The Washington Post.

While at the Park Service, she researched the role of music in the 1800s and performed as the "music lady" at the Custis-Lee mansion in Arlington, interpreting the role of one of the Lee daughters.

Mrs. Clare enjoyed theater work, performing as a singer and dancer with the Washington Light Opera Company, the Hexagon Players and the Montgomery Players. She directed performances at Trinity Theatre in Georgetown and at the Chevy Chase Community Center. She also wrote plays, including an adaptation of "Tom Sawyer," a history of Chevy Chase, a play about Yorktown and a children's adaptation of the opera "Hansel and Gretel."

She was born in Washington and graduated from Holy Cross Academy and Catholic University. She was a member and past director of the local chapter of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales.

Survivors include her husband, William F. Clare III of Chadds Ford; three sons, William Clare of Finksburg, Md., Daniel Clare of Walpole, Mass., and Robert Clare of West Chester, Pa.; a brother, Daniel Slattery of Bethesda; and seven grandchildren.

Carol Furman KaneClub Member

Carol Furman Kane, 72, a member of Alexandria's River Port Garden Club and the Mount Vernon House and Garden Club, died of cancer Feb. 24 at her home in Alexandria.

She was also a member of Christ Church in Alexandria, the Women's Committee for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Ladies Book Club in Alexandria.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she came with her parents to the Washington area at the beginning of World War II. They were among the first residents of Fairlington, a housing community in Arlington.