In another life, she might have flown the friendly skies -- but a flair for technology and love of flowers took her down other paths, and she never looked back.
The daughter of Maybelle St. Clair and Donald T. Hull, she attended Memphis State University, where she earned a degree in psychology.
One of her sons, Frank Law Jr. of Canton, said his mother originally sought a career as a Pan Am stewardess, but her vision made that impossible. "IBM recruited her," Mr. Law said of his mother, so she went to work programming, and teaching at that firm.
At a Christmas party in the 1970s, life took another turn. She met Frank Law Sr., whom she'd eventually wed. For the next several years, she helped him build his architectural hardware firm. She was a familiar sight at the 14th Street business and at company functions. Along the way, Frank and Claire had two sons -- Frank Jr. and Clifton.
Eventually, the pair parted -- and another path opened up. Ms. Law took on Wreaths and Things, a home-based boutique specializing in wreaths and floral arrangements. Interior designer Wrenda Crain worked with her friend on projects, and Ms. Law helped her decorate her Destin, Fla., home.
"She had such a decorative knack for picking lovely things," said Mrs. Crain. She said even if flowers weren't quite the right color, Ms. Law "would paint silk flowers to match a home's decor." Her friend's favorites included peony and foxglove, and, she added, "She would not have them any way but perfect. She brought beauty wherever she went."
Claire Ann Hull Law of Atlanta died of cancer June 1. She was 67. The funeral was held Friday at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta. H.M. Patterson and Son Oglethorpe Hill is in charge of arrangements.
Longtime friend Frances Westbrook called Ms. Law "very creative and very thoughtful. And, if you received a thank you note from her, you knew it would never be perfunctory. She would fill out both sides of that card. I know that the people who knew her all had a ‘Claire' story."
Frank Law Jr. recalled the joy his mother took in family, and in entertaining his childhood friends. Last Halloween, he said, she visited his family and spent the evening passing out treats to neighborhood children.
While friends will remember Ms. Law for an artful eye, and love of pink, they also will tell of a fighting spirit.
"I think the most amazing thing to me was her strength. Up to the end, she was able to get herself up to go to treatments, and to the store," said Mrs. Crain. She said her friend attended Bible study at North Avenue Presbyterian Church and remained a favorite with the church's prayer group.
"She was a very strong person -- strong in her will, and strong in her faith," added Mrs. Crain. "She never gave up on pursuing ways to cure her cancer. She was steadfast, and she persevered."
Faye Hull, whose husband is Ms. Law's first cousin, noted, "She was very petite -- but there was nothing small about the fight she put up. I look at her as a Southern belle in her manners, her actions and her speech. I never heard her complain about her illness. I asked her last month, ‘Are you in pain?' She said, ‘I wouldn't call it pain. I'd call it uncomfortable.' "
Other survivors include another son, Clifton Law of Athens, and a sister, Donna Bodron of Heber Springs, Ark.
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