Constance Claye

10/10/1938 — 1/31/2021

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Connie Ida Allen-Claye was born Oct. 10, 1938, to Irene Wilkinson-Allen and Mark Allen Sr. Connie passed away at the age of 82 from complications of COVID-19 on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. She was the last member of her generation, with 14 siblings preceding her in death.

Connie was born in Spalding and grew up on Cottonwood Creek (Ma-ka Creek) in Culdesac where she helped on the family farm. She attended school at the Black School in Gifford, then Culdesac School. Connie also graduated from Cooks Christian Training School in Arizona.

While in Phoenix, she met and married Christopher Claye, which produced their son, Conrad Mark Claye. Connie began working as a lab technician while living in Arizona. Connie divorced and then moved to Lewiston, where she raised her son. She then married James Guier. She later divorced and moved to Anchorage, Alaska. This is where she met and married Kimo Moore and both moved back to the Idaho area and purchased a bar business in Winchester.

She spent many years in Winchester and loved spending time in the mountains hunting, camping and gathering traditional foods. She spoke Nimipuutimpt (Nez Perce Language) fluently and loved to share this knowledge with others. Connie was involved in many positions with the Nez Perce Tribe. She was on different tribal committees and most recently as an honored member of the Circle of Elders. Connie worked with the Clearwater River Casino as a manager and retired from this position after 20-plus years. Connie had a work ethic about her which was fostered from working the Allen farm. She knew the value of hard work and being on time.

Although tough, Connie also had the biggest heart in helping others in need. A little-known fact about Connie was when people were hired at the casino and they didn’t have work clothes or funds to get to work, Connie would supply them until new hires could get on their feet. If by chance Connie called a person “Sweetheart,” they had her love and caring. Connie also had the robin (Wiis’pox pox) as her spiritual guardian (Wa ya kin). She loved that she could speak Nimiipuu and was always saying “There’s so much to learn.”

She was also strong in her Christian beliefs and was a member of the Spalding Presbyterian Church for many years until it was condemned. She continued to go to church in Lapwai at the Methodist Church. Connie loved animals and always had a cat and/or a dog at her home in Cottonwood Creek. She spent her last years living on the land her parents farmed.

Connie was preceded by her paternal grandparents, John and Emma Allen, and her maternal grandparents, Amos and Mary Morris-Wilkinson; parents Mark and Irene Allen; brothers Mathias “Chick,” John, Francis “Jeep,” Phillip, Mark, Clifford, Stewart and Nelson; sisters Elizabeth, Delphine, Agnes, Ramona, Dora George and Elsie McKay; her son, Conrad Claye, also passed unexpectedly two years ago from an auto accident. If there is life after death, these two are definitely having a good time.

On behalf of the Allen family and the siblings of this last generation, we apologize for any changed plans or travel difficulties anyone experienced during her funeral. Sometimes things don’t go as planned but Connie was like that ... “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of woman. She was so adventurous and nonconforming that it was a delight to travel with her and live in the moment with her, whether it was bad or good. Connie would say, “We’tu wiin (don’t cry) ... you will dance and we will watch.” The family would like to thank all involved in her funeral arrangements, as well as her one last ride through the casino before her burial. I am sure she appreciated her last ride to her final resting place. Yox Ka lo!

Services and viewing were held at Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home. Burial took place Feb. 4, 2021, at Spalding Cemetery. A memorial will be held at a later date.

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