Claire Bishop Milner, 20, of Oak Ridge, died Monday from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
She is survived by her mother, Sally Bishop; her stepfather, Mark Young; her father, Scott Milner of State College, Pa.; her sister, Eliza Milner of Cambridge, Mass.; her sister, Katherine Merrill Milner of Washington; her grandmother Joan Johnson of Oak Ridge; her grandmother, Amelia Fernandes; her aunt Mary Weiner of Michigan; her aunt and uncle, Todd and Cricket Milner and cousin Lauren of Vail, Colo.; her uncles, Scott Bishop and Tim Bridges of Knoxville; her aunt, Susan Irwin of Oak Ridge; her cousins Kate Irwin of Oak Ridge and Drew Irwin of Murfreesboro; and her special boyfriend Robert Fishburne of Asheville. She is also survived by her many loving uncles, aunts, and cousins in the Young family, and many members of the Bishop family in North Carolina.
Claire was a junior at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, where she was a theater major and was looking forward to appearing in the spring production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Claire loved acting, singing, costume design, and wanted to be a professional actress.
Despite her lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis, Claire lived her life to the fullest, and everyone who met her felt the magic that was Claire’s personality. She knew that because of her CF, her time with us was limited, but she was determined to make every minute count. She was a genuine force of nature.
She had just moved into her first apartment with Robert, and was enjoying decorating and cooking and making it their home together.
Claire made friends easily, and everywhere, and her sparkling sense of humor and easy laugh endeared her to them all.
As Claire said of herself: “I want to be a great actor because it’s what’s in my heart. I want to perform because I want to enrich and liberate my soul. I want to create wonderful things, and I want people to love them, and that is my reason for being.”
Few 20-year-olds are that self-aware, and all of left behind are impoverished by her passing.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Claire’s memory be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Suite 230, 5401 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN 37919; ORHS Masquers Club c/o Vidal Moreno, Oak Ridge High School, 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge TN 37830; or to S.A.R.G. (Shelter Animal Rescue Group) 124 Newell Lane, Oak Ridge TN 37830.
A memorial celebration of Claire’s life was held at 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Unitarian Church, 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.
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