Francis Kellie William McCleary, 88

Francis Kellie William McCleary, 88, passed away peacefully on Sept. 3, 2010, with his family by his side, at Brendan House in Kalispell. He was born July 17, 1922, in Watertown, Conn., to Mildred and Samuel McCleary. He attended Colorado College, where he played hockey and studied civil engineering. In December 1942 he enlisted in the armed forces with his two brothers, Samuel and Richard. He married Arline Denton before leaving to fight in World War II. After the war Francis returned to Colorado College, where he graduated in 1949. In 1950 he moved back to Connecticut, where he worked in the family business for 30 years, and he and Arline raised their five children. He was also a veteran of the Korean War. In 1980 Francis and Arline retired, and in 1985 they moved to Kalispell with their beloved Labrador retrievers to spend their time fishing, traveling and creating a warm and loving home for their family to spend vacation time and holidays together. Francis was an avid sportsman and deeply cared for nature and all of its creatures. Francis was preceded in death by his wife, Arline; his mother and father; his brothers, Richard and Samuel; and sister, Marion LeMay. He is survived by his children, Maren McCleary of Kalispell, Alex and Maribeth of Bozeman, Bill and Brenda of Laramie, Wyo., Susan and Walter of Anchorage, Alaska, and Marion of Kalispell. He is also survived by his six grandchildren, Daniel, Jessica, Jeffrey, Sean, Shannon and Kelly. Memorial services for Francis will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Christ Church Episcopal in Kalispell. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Francis family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to view Francis tribute wall and offer condolences.