JAMES (JIM) CLARY
JAMES (JIM) CLARY
James (Jim) Clary was born on July 22, 1940 in Albert Lea, Minnesota to Buel Clary and Sarah Craig Clary. He passed away in Lewisville, Texas on June 21, 2013 after a battle with bone cancer that left him with many complications his body could no longer tolerate. He was preceded in death by his parents of Grinnell, Iowa, many of his aunts, uncles and cousins in the Craig and Clary families and his mother-in-law, Martie Currie of Wynnewood, Oklahoma.
He is survived by his wife, Gloria Currie Clary, and their two children, Kevin Clary of Perth, Australia and Kelley Clary Gibson of Colleyville, Texas, along with his son-in-law, Clayton Gibson, and Jim’s two grandchildren, Hayley Isabel Gibson and Blake James Gibson. The rest of his living family includes his three brothers-in-law, Johnnie Ray Currie, Larry Currie and Ronnie Currie; his two sisters-in-law, Shirley Currie and Dawn Currie; his father-in-law, Johnnie L. Currie, plus many nieces and nephews.
Jim had a wonderful life. He grew up in Missouri and Iowa and spent time with his extended Craig family. He was an only child, and they lived in the country where his father managed a pipeline pump station. He used to spend time in the woods ‘hunting’ with his little dog and a BB gun. As he grew older, his first job was at a JC Penney store at 13 years old putting together little red wagons and Jim used to joke that, if there were parts left over when he finished, he just gave them a toss.
After going to college in Marysville, Missouri, Jim moved to Oklahoma City to work for a large department store selling men’s suits and clothing. While living in Oklahoma City, he met his future wife, Gloria, living in the same apartment building in which he lived. They were married in Phoenix, Arizona in 1962, where their son Kevin was born. He continued to work for various department stores in different parts of the country, including Mount Ayr, Iowa, where their daughter, Kelley, was born and Patterson, Louisiana, Moore, Oklahoma and Seattle, Washington, spending 10 or 15 years in each place. Their greatest move was to Sydney, Australia after retirement, where they lived for five years before moving back to Texas.
Jim and Gloria loved to travel and they traveled all over the world and had wonderful experiences. They traveled to many island countries in the South Pacific, plus Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Canada, most of the Caribbean islands and many states in the USA. Just about the time they finished one trip, Jim and Gloria would start dreaming about the next one and start making plans.
But most of all, Jim loved his wife, family and his beautiful grandchildren, on whom he doted. He had a wicked sense of humor, suffered fools gladly, and was a voracious reader. His wife of 51 years, Gloria, loved him dearly, as did all his family. He will be sorely missed.
A private celebration of Jim’s life will be held on June 29, 2013.
