Claude Downer Renshaw

Claude D. “Renny” “Papi” Renshaw, age 83, slid into home plate for the final time when he died peacefully in South Bend, Indiana on Sunday, February 15, 2026. He left behind an unfinished New York Times crossword puzzle, at least two boxes of unanswered Trivial Pursuit questions, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, along with his wife, two daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughter to whom he was single-mindedly devoted, and who all loved him dearly.

Renny was born on September 8, 1942 and grew up in Westport, Connecticut, the oldest of six siblings and son to Mary Kay (Heffernan) Renshaw and Claude Downer Renshaw, Sr. As the son of a Pan Am pilot, his love for travel grew over the years after living in countries from South Africa to Portugal.

Renny was a proud alumnus of Michigan State University (he liked it so much that he stuck around for 11 years trying to get a bachelor’s degree), and shared a lifelong interest in everything Spartans (particularly sports) with fellow alum Mary Lumianski, the love of his life. Renny and Mary have shared that love for 57 years.

He enlisted in the US Air Force in 1962 and served at March AFB in Riverside, California and at Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota. He worked in the accounting office processing payroll for troops in Vietnam, receiving an honorable discharge in 1966. While in the Air Force, Renny was able to turn his love for music into a side hustle as a DJ for the local radio station. He was a particular fan of rock-n-roll music from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. Renny forever loved playing “name-that-tune” and music trivia with his daughters and granddaughter.

Renny earned an MBA and CPA from Michigan State in 1969. After a stint with Arthur Andersen in Detroit, he settled into what would become a 35+ year teaching career spanning at least 8 schools on three continents, with the majority of time spent at Saint Mary’s College.

He was a loved and respected professor and academic who mentored thousands of students and faculty, remembering their hometowns, birthdays, family members’ names, and favorite hobbies even decades after they graduated. He achieved the near-impossible by making income tax and accounting classes fun and interesting. He coordinated dozens of student trips to Chicago, Indianapolis, Washington DC, New York, and London. He was famous at Saint Mary’s for offering extra credit for pop quizzes, providing coffee for students at his 8am accounting classes, and for becoming the first coach of the Belles softball team.

Renny never met a game or competition he didn’t like: whether it was an all-night poker game, a Trivial Pursuit showdown, a tennis tournament, or a family NCAA pool, he wanted in.  He especially loved anything that had to do with the New York Yankees, the MSU Spartans, card games, or racquetball. He always displayed a positive spirit and an unflagging sense of humor. He faced life’s challenges with jokes, some irony, and persistent resolve. One of Renny’s favorite things about having a grandchild was that it gave him a golden opportunity to recycle all his old “Dad” jokes that he had used on his daughters. He and Arianna would crack each other up with classics such as “I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest!”

A lifelong philatelist (he and his brother started a stamp company when they were teenagers), Renny brought his love and knowledge of stamps to the Sisters of the Holy Cross Stamp Ministry at Saint Mary’s after he retired. He volunteered with the Sisters for twelve years raising funds for their poverty programs.

Among the countless people who will miss Renny are his wife Mary, daughters Allyson and Charlotte, granddaughter Arianna, son-in-law Craig, brother Mark, sisters Tia, Julie, Lucia, and Amy, many in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues all over the world. Renny’s family is planning to hold a memorial service in his honor this spring.

Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Cross Ministry With the Poor. https://www.cscsisters.org/support-us/ministry-with-the-poor/

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