Gerard Cleary

Middleton - Dr. Gerard Louis Cleary, age 92, passed away peacefully at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg on January 2, 2014, after a short illness.
Gerard was born July 8, 1921, in Nantes, France, and moved with his parents Professor Thomas L. Cleary and Gabrielle Samson Cleary to Madison when he was a child. He was a graduate of Madison West High School. World War II interrupted his studies at the University of Wisconsin. He served in the Army Air Corps and received a Purple Heart following his injury during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he completed his degree in zoology at the University and married Dorothy Ann Boote (now Hoover). He earned a Doctor of Optometry from the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in 1950 and returned to Madison to establish his practice. He also practiced in Waterloo and Beaver Dam. He was an old-school doctor who took great pleasure in spending time with his patients among whom were generations of students who passed through his office on University Avenue.
Gerard was active for many years with the Jaycees, the Optimist Club, and the Boy Scouts of America. He was an avid sailor who later in life cruised the high seas on passenger ships with his beloved companion Elizabeth Ruffner, who survives him. He is also survived by his children Richard (Sarah) Cleary and Aleta (John Sigg) Cleary both of Austin, Texas, Kevin (Anne) Cleary of Strasbourg, France; his grandchildren Patrick, Amanda, Alexandra, Alison, and Colin; his sister Rita (Arthur) Castleberry, and her children and grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful staffs of Meriter Hospital and Agrace Hospice Care for the loving care of our father. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be made in Gerard's name to Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 E Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711, or the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, P.O. Box 628242, Middleton, WI 53562-8242. A private family memorial service will be held at a later date.