After 43 years working with Branford Public Schools (BPS) and eight elective terms serving her local constituents, Clare Torelli will be spending a lot more time sharing her days with Gabby, Bella, Annie, Sully, and Buns.

Gabby and Bella are Clare’s goats, Sully is her miniature horse, Annie is her donkey, and Buns, her rather large rabbit. They all enjoy living in the beautiful surrounds of Clare’s Branford home, which she also shares with a rescue kitty that has the run of the house.

Clare, who retired from BPS in June, announced last week she will also retire from her service on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM). The Democratic RTM member, who has served District 1 for 16 consecutive years, will not seek reelection in November.

As someone currently experiencing stage 5 kidney failure due to hereditary polycystic kidney disease (PKD), Clare has her days now curbed by the need to receive dialysis three times a week. Thanks to her many friends, she has a network of drivers covering each trip to the local medical center.

Although she’s early in her retirement, Clare’s already putting her can-do attitude to work, starting with finding a living kidney donor. She began her push to find a match in August of 2021 when she was diagnosed with stage 4. Anyone with an O-negative or O-positive type blood can be tested as a potential match. The result can change Clare’s life or may change the life of another person in need of a match.

Most recently, Clare mailed out 4,200 postcards in hopes of connecting with a potential match through the living donor program at Hartford Hospital. Potential donors can start by completing the online form at hartfordhospital.org/livingdonation or call 833-222-7770.

If she were to receive the gift of a living kidney donation, Clare would like to put her renewed energy into volunteer work, including advocating for stronger state legislation addressing cases of animal cruelty.

“I would love to help them pass laws that are more severe for people that abuse animals because right now they get a slap on the wrist, and it’s so heartbreaking to see what they do to these animals,” says Clare.

Clare’s a former volunteer of MADD, Branford Compassion Club, Branford Community Dining Room, Walter Camp Foundation, and the Special Olympics.

A Branford Girl

Among the many photos Clare shares with guests at her home is a striking black-and-white photo of a young girl and a gentleman riding in a one-horse sleigh on a snow-topped road.

“That’s me and John Sliney, riding in a sleigh down Main Street in the snow,” says Clare, who grew up in Branford (née Polverari) near Sliney’s farm and homestead.

“I’m a Branford girl,” says Clare. “I love this town.”

The late Sliney, a former Branford first selectman, was also the person who connected Clare with riding his horses on his property, which included land on Cherry Hill Road that’s now Richlin’s plaza.

“As a kid, that whole corner where Richlin’s is, was fields; and we had a course where we jumped,” says Clare, who started riding at age 7.

“My mother wouldn’t see me all day. I would leave in the morning, and I would be at that barn all day long.”

Clare went on to become a competitive equestrian, entering her first show in 1957.

“If it wasn’t for John Sliney, I would have never been able to do that,” she says.

Clare’s two kids were the fourth generation to grow up in her family’s Branford home. Her daughter, Stacy, followed in mom’s equestrian footsteps.

“When Mr. Sliney died, we bought a horse for my daughter, and she did the show circuit for years. She did very well and actually had two horses. We had our own horse trailer and went all over,” says Clare.

Stacy now breeds and trains race horses at her 18-acre farm in upstate New York near the Finger Lakes racetrack.

Clare’s son, Peter, attended Branford High School (BHS) while Clare was working in the building. He earned a full, four-year scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York). Peter became a ground-breaking tech engineering leader for top national companies and started his own nonprofit software writing organization in retirement. He’s now working as a U.S. liaison for an international company and living in Portland, Oregon.

“He was always into computers. He was going to computer camps when kids were going to football camps,” says Clare.

Peter, who also has PKD, recently encouraged his mom to branch out in seeking assistance with her search for a living kidney donor by putting together the postcard appeal.

“I also had a couple of magnets made for the side of my car. My doctor suggested that because one of his patients got a kidney by putting an ad in the window of her car. Somebody saw the number and called and got her a kidney that was a match,” says Clare.

Some of the awareness Clare hopes to share is that healthy folks really do have a kidney to spare. Her brother received a kidney from his wife 14 years ago; both are living a happy, healthy life.

“It’s such a successful operation. You can live with one kidney, and there are so many people out there that need a donor. So even if this helps other people, it’s worth it,” says Clare.

Those who may match and donate a kidney to someone other than Clare will also be helping Clare, as she will get a voucher, putting her at the top of the list for the hospital’s next type O donor.

“So that puts me in good shape, and also, it’s giving someone else a kidney who needs one. It’s really such a good cause. If I don’t get one, I hope someone does because of this exposure.”

Serving Branford Public Schools

For so many, Clare was the first person to greet them every morning during their school years with BHS. As the front office receptionist, many feel she was the “face” of BHS.

But it didn’t start out that way, says Clare, who graduated from BHS in 1967 and joined BPS as a staffer in 1980.

“When I started, I was at the intermediate school, and I was in reprographics — which is a room where I never saw anybody unless they came in to get their work,” says Clare.

When she moved to BHS in 1986, “I did a little bit of everything,” says Clare, from working the switchboard to being an administrative assistant to former vice principal Frank Grandel. Clare became front office receptionist by filling a spot vacated by retirement.

Through the years, BHS changed around her, including five different principals and three building renovations. More recently, the entrance to the school has been reconfigured for security purposes, and that’s slightly adjusted the receptionist’s station to a bit more of an interior location.

“The way the setup is now, you have the kids going in a little bit differently, so it’s not like you have the time to talk and fool around and kid with them,” says Clare, who loved to greet students and staff every morning.

No kidding — Clare is well-known for her school spirit. She was always one of the best dressed for Halloween and other school dress-up days for benefits or themes.

“Last year, we had a Christmastime dress-up, and I got these huge wings — they were bigger than me! I put a hole in a sheet, and I said I was the angel topper on the Christmas tree. The kids were hysterical,” says Clare. “It was a lot of fun being with the kids and interacting with them.”

During 16 of Clare’s years at BHS, she was also a sports photographer. She captured game action for the former Branford Review and for the photo studio serving the school system at the time.

“When I did sports photography, I was much more involved with the kids because I was at every sport. I loved it. The hockey games were the best. They were challenging. There was a lot of action, but I had a real fast lens. It was a lot of fun,” says Clare.

After her kids were grown, Clare transitioned out of her family’s Branford home. She was living in North Branford while looking for the perfect place for her next home, where she wanted to keep horses. Twenty years ago, she found it on the way to work at BHS.

“One day, I just by chance happened on it. I was living in an apartment in North Branford and traveling [Northford] road every day on my way to work, and I saw the ‘For Sale’ sign.”

Clare worked out a deal with the property owner, who also constructed her home on the 4-acre former farm property. She’s happily shared the land with a number of beloved animals, mainly rescues, housed in a barn a few steps outside her door.

Serving Branford

Clare’s proud of her work with the RTM but says it’s time to step down, mainly due to lacking the energy and stamina she has proudly devoted to the RTM for many years.

“There is a lot of committee work, as well as the meetings — when you do the budgets starting in March, you’re at meetings all the time. It’s late nights,” says Clare, who will continue to serve until her term ends in November 2023.

Clare’s proud of her track record of voting for what she’s felt is best for Branford.

“You’re doing what’s best for the town and what’s best for the people,” she says. “I wanted to be someone who was representing what the people want because I love this town. So I will miss giving my input, for the people’s sake, because I heard a lot of their opinions and got a lot of feedback.”

As someone who has seen Branford change due to development, Clare hopes those who serve on the RTM will help to keep the character of this town intact.

“We offer so much in this town. People like the school system, they like the beaches; we have great [municipal] services. I just hope we don’t make it a town that’s no longer a quaint, country town,” she says.

Retirement Plans

Now that she’s entering the retirement realm, Clare says she’s looking forward to spending more time with her animals and, due to her current PKD status, slowing down a bit.

But that slower pace could change should a living kidney donor match come along.

“If I got a kidney, I would love to do more volunteer work. That’s so rewarding. People don’t realize how good it makes you feel to help someone.”