Claudia Aufhauser, 63

LACONIA — Claudia Aufhauser died on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, with her family present — her husband, Paul Schulatta; brothers, Keith and David; her sister-in-law, Jane T. Dana; and nieces and nephew, David, Anne, and Kate Aufhauser — at Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia. She is also survived by a niece Kimberly Gassner, and by her dogs Cubby, Scout, Sassy, and Topper. She was predeceased by her brother Bruce Aufhauser.

Claudia was born on Nov. 19, 1950, in New York City to Vivian Hanna and Richard Aufhauser. The only daughter in a family of boys, she learned her independence early. She graduated from Port Jefferson High School in 1968 and Connecticut College for Women in 1972. She also did post-graduate work in Near Eastern History at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1981, she moved to Laconia, where she bought a farmhouse and began breeding Newfoundlands. She and Paul took great joy in tooling around the lakes on her Kawasaki 1000 cc motorcycle. She later opened and operated Canterbury Tails, a store in Center Harbor that specialized in pet care and needs, but it did not survive hard economic times in the region. She returned to Long Island for more than a year to care for her mother during a final illness.

Claudia was very active in the Newfoundland Club of New England, which awarded her an "honorary life" membership in recognition of her contributions, dedication, services, and enthusiasm for the dogs and breed that she championed.

Claudia loved the Lakes Region, which she chose for its beauty, people, and independence. Here, with Paul, she found real community and friends, who treasured her warmth, her love of dogs, and her infectious sense of humor. She gathered friends together for holiday celebrations at her farmhouse and traveled up and down the East Coast, showing and winning awards with her beloved dogs. For the past 10 years, she bravely battled illness, with the help and devotion of her husband Paul and her close friends Karen Day and Carol Batchelder.

A memorial service with family and friends will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made in Claudia's memory to the Newfoundland Club of New England Charitable Fund Inc (c/o Lori Bryant, 40 Durham St., Nashua, NH 03063).

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.