John Cleary

Ret. Lt. Commander, USNR, John Lambert Cleary, 91, died peacefully on Thursday, March 3, 2011, at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville.John last resided at the Ben Atchley State Veterans Home in Knoxville and, prior to that, in McMinnville, Tenn.He was born in Jacksonville, Ill., on Aug. 8, 1919, to Jeffrey Rollo and Margaret E. Harney Cleary. He was preceded in death by his wife, Geraldine Post Cleary; his parents; and his sister, Mary Cleary.John Cleary is survived by his wife, Judy Van Cleve Cleary, of Knoxville; his three sons, Jeff Cleary, of Chattanooga, and wife, Marie, Mike Cleary, of Roanoke, Va., and wife, Nola, and Tim Cleary, of Greenville, S.C.; his four stepchildren, Andrew and Laurie Van Cleve, of Covington, Tenn., Bruce and Lucy Van Cleve, of Knoxville, David and Margie Van Cleve, of Yakima, Wash., and Kay and Jeff Grissom, of Greenville, Tenn.; 10 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.John graduated from Farragut High School in Knoxville. He served as an officer with the Navy in the Pacific during WWII on the USS Dorsey (DMS-1) and was part of the invasions of Lingayen Gulf, the Solomon Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The Dorsey received six battle stars.After WW II he graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law. John was an avid Volunteer football supporter, sharing the joy of victory and the heartbreak of loss with family and friends over the years. John worked with the L&N Railroad, the U.S. Government and NASA. Following retirement in 1973, he began the practice of law in Van Buren County, Tenn., where, for 20 years, he was the only attorney with an office in the county. John had a love and special gift of gardening, and enjoyed the frustrations of golf at every opportunity.A memorial service will be held at St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Chattanooga at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2011.The family requests that In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made IN MEMORY OF JOHN CLEARY to the Ben Atchley State Veterans Home, One Veterans Way, Knoxville, TN 37931. Online register book at highlandmemorialparks.com. Highland West Memorial Funeral Home 865-693-9547.