Anonymous
Clara Maria Svedlund, 46, passed away suddenly but peacefully on December 13, 2021, at her home in Santa Barbara, CA. The cause was congenital heart failure.
Clara was born on March 24, 1975, in the Swedish coastal town of Varberg to Per Eije and Marianne Svedlund. Clara only lived 10 months in Sweden but carried Swedish culture joyously with her throughout her life. Clara grew up in California and graduated La Jolla High School in 1993, where she ran cross country, swam, and was loved by her many friends.
Clara attended college at the University of California at Santa Barbara, graduating with BS and MS degrees in Aquatic Biology and Marine Ecology. Her love of science, nature, and the ocean carried throughout her entire life. Clara met her husband Matt Kay while they worked together on a scientific research diving (SCUBA) team throughout the central/southern California coast and at the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. This passion for biology and nature was fundamental to who they are, as both individuals and a family. It was the foundation for their love and life together the natural world was their reality. Matt and Clara were married in 2009 in a ceremony in the backyard at the Kay household in Montecito, CA, under an arch handsomely constructed of driftwood. Clara’s beloved flat-coated retriever, Bjorn, was part of the beautiful ceremony.
Clara and Matt made a home in the hills above Santa Barbara. Clara and Matt were overjoyed at the arrival of their beautiful daughter, Wren Melissa Kay, in November 2017. Wren was the center of their affections and adventures, and she is a bright and spirited companion. Like her mother, she is also a kind and generous spirit. Clara lives on in Wren, and she is a vivid reflection of a beautiful, intelligent, and devoted mother.
Clara taught at the Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara for nearly 20 years. She was supremely devoted to the school, faculty, and students. She was passionate about teaching the sciences, ecology, and environmental studies through an inventive variety of pedagogical methods (including legos and the legendary Santa Barbara emu-cam) and community outreach events. Her impact was broad.
Clara loved the outdoors, a passion she shared with her husband, daughter, and other loved ones. Although she had many activities and passions, she always had time for her family and friends and is sorely missed by all. Clara was a beloved and devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, teacher, and friend.
Clara is survived by her husband Matt Kay and daughter Wren Kay, parents Per Eije and Marianne Svedlund, mother-in-law Gail Kay, brother Jonas Svedlund and sister-in-law Elizabeth Svedlund and nieces Annika, Eloise, Katherine and Amelia Svedlund, brothers-in-law Chris Kay and John Kay, and sister-in-law Page Pegram and nephews David and Jackson Kay, as well as beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and family in Sweden.
