Cover photo for Claudia Lewis Silvia's Obituary
Claudia Lewis Silvia Profile Photo

Claudia Lewis Silvia

December 24, 1943 — May 19, 2024

Kennett Square, PA

Claudia Lewis Silvia

Claudia Lewis Silvia, age 80, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, passed away on May 19, 2024, at Crosslands in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  

She was the spouse of Peter Silvia, with whom she shared almost nine years of marriage. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Louise (Stahl) Chapman and the sister of the late David Chapman.   

Claudia graduated from the University of Maryland College Park and earned her degree in Biology. She went on to get two master's degrees in education and cytogenetics. She taught at UMBC for a couple of years in the early 70s and Carroll County schools for a total of 42 years, sharing her love of science and the environment. Upon retirement from the Carroll County school system, she created and taught an environmental science class for several years at McDaniel College.  

She will be most remembered for being the "MOM" to a lot of students. She even performed marriage ceremonies for her grandson and several of her students. She made it her mission to encourage all to reach their highest potential no matter what their desires were and found a way to reach them on their own terms. Past students stayed connected with her, and she was equally proud of the musicians, the artisans, the teachers, and the medical professionals and anyone not named in these groups. Many of them credit her high school teaching with igniting their love of science and their choices in life. Beyond teaching, Claudia was a staunch environmentalist supporting many groups from cleaning up our streams to wildlife preservation. She was also an avid supporter of women's rights, joining marches as she could. One of her true loves, music and where she met Pete, was Common Ground on the Hill.  Claudia and Pete had many adventures together traveling all over the world.


In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Tina; her sons, Ian, and Gaelan; her grandchildren, Patrick, Corry, and Kahlan; her great-grandchildren, Jamicen, Isla, and Bert; and her siblings, Robin, and Marianne; daughters-in-law, Melissa and Rebecca, as well as loved nieces and nephews.  In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her loving husband, Charles Wilbert Lewis.  

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Claudia and Charles Lewis STEM scholarship:
carrollcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/
Claudia and Will's vision for this scholarship is that it encourages students to major and/or explore STEM opportunities to help build a better future for our world. Please consider a donation to this scholarship instead of flowers.  

A celebration of life will be held at the Carroll County Arts Council June 9th, 2024, at 3 PM. 91 West Main Street; Westminster, Maryland 21157. Claudia requests that you bring your instruments for an impromptu jam session as one of her final wishes.  

 Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. To view Claudia's
online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.

Past Services

Celebration of Life

Sunday, June 9, 2024

3:00 - 6:00 pm (Eastern time)

Carroll County Arts Council

91 W Main St, Westminster, MD 21157

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