Claire R. Leasure

Claire R. Leasure, formerly of North Brunswick and Monroe, passed away peacefully Wednesday, December 31, 2025, at Parker at River Road in Piscataway. She was 97. She was born in Paterson, and raised in New Brunswick. She lived in North Brunswick for most of her life and later settled at Rossmoor in Monroe and ultimately moved to Parker in 2016.

Claire was a lifetime parishioner of the United Methodist Church in Milltown.

In her youth, she loved to sing and dance and perform. She entered and won a Shirley Temple sound-alike contest on the Major Bowles National Amateur Hour Radio Show.

When she was in high school she worked for J&J in New Brunswick. Every morning she rode the elevator with Robert Wood Johnson II and sometimes did errands for him.

The rest of her “working life” was spent volunteering for various organizations.

She was a very active volunteer for the Middlesex General Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Auxiliary in New Brunswick and in 2006 received the Award for Volunteer Excellence for over 50 years of service. Among other roles she helped run the hospital gift shop and served on the Auxiliary Board. She chaired the Hospital Ball Committee for two years.

Claire volunteered regularly at Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, serving hot meals to those in need.

She enjoyed bowling, tennis, playing Yahtzee and Bridge and getting together with friends. She was a wonderful cook and enjoyed being a hostess for gatherings of friends and family.

She had a lifelong love of animals, especially dogs. She loved Golden Retrievers most of all and bred her beloved Brandy twice. All dogs were a delight to her and she always enjoyed visits with family pups.

She was a member of the North Brunswick Junior Women’s Club and later, the North Brunswick Women’s Club.

She is predeceased by her parents, Augustus and Ruth (Perrine) Roberts, her first husband George Pardun (d. 2010), their sons Todd Pardun (d. 2004) and Gary Pardun (d. 2024), and her second husband, Clyde Leasure (d. 2000), her step-son Bruce Leasure (d.2020), and her brother Don Roberts.

Surviving is her son Gregg Pardun of Farmingdale, her daughter-in-laws Sharon Pardun of Ocean Twp., Anne Pardun of Milltown, and Karen Leasure of Fairless Hill, PA; her step-daughter Jennifer Hey (Dan) of Butler PA; her 9 grandchildren Melanie, Ethan, Rebecca, Zachary, Barbara, Helen, Kyle, Erin and Ryan; and her 14 great-grandchildren.

A Visitation for family and friends will be on Wednesday, January 7th, from 9:00 – 11:00 am, at The Crabiel Home for Funerals, 170 N Main St. at Riva Avenue, Milltown. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Van Liew Cemetery in North Brunswick. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund https://curealz.org .  You may sign the online condolence “guestbook” at www.crabiel.com