Claire Aylward Hartford was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. Graduating from Pius X in 1970, Claire migrated north to Omaha to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha. As a freshman, she shared an apartment with high school friends and waited tables while beginning her preparation to be an English teacher. But her university career was put on hold for awhile after that tumultuous first year – a year in which 1) she made the momentous decision to receive Christ as her personal Savior and 2) by accepting Denny’s proposal of marriage. They were wed November 4, 1971.
Claire returned to UNO in 1974, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (English and Journalism). She started teaching at Bellevue East High School in January of 1977 and was an effective, popular teacher there. But Claire assumed full-time duties with Vital Signs Ministries in 1986. Her tasks have involved the business matters of Vital Signs Ministries, a lot of personal correspondence and visitation, speaking, and participation in virtually all of Vital Signs’ activities. She has joined Denny in some of VSM’s international outreaches — Poland, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and several times in the United Kingdom. Claire has also served during all of our more than 40 years of ministry as our primary sidewalk counselor. As mentioned above, she was a key leader in the beginning of the AAA Crisis Pregnancy Center (now Assure Women’s Center).
Claire shares her husband’s passions for literature, music, gardening and lawn work, old movies, and entertaining.