Charles Herbert "Mac" Mcclary

Plattsburgh Charles Herbert McClary died peacefully after a brief battle with cancer on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 surrounded by his family at his Plattsburgh home. He was 84, born to Linfield D. and Nina M. McClary in Utica, N.Y. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Gloria (nee Abare); his daughter, Debra Lynn (son in law Art Covert) of Plattsburgh; and two sons, Stephen (wife Debb) of Great Falls, Montana, and Michael (wife Suzanne) of Strawberry, Arizona. He is further survived by his sister, Irene DeCirce (husband Jerry) of Westvale, N.Y., six grandchildren( Ashley, Brittney, DyLon, Ian, Kinsey and Zachary) and three great grandchildren (Evan, Noah and Zhorri). Mac retired to Plattsburgh in 1969 after a distinguished career of military service beginning in 1947 in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force, marked by tours of duty in the Caribbean, in Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Vermont, New York and three years in Northern France. He was an avod constitutionalist, a philatelist and a collector of old coins, war memorabilia and classic movies. On warm days during the growing season, he could often be found tending to the needs of his flower and vegetable gardens, or trimming his prized rose bushes. Virtually of his time was spent at the side of his wife Gloria, who due to blindness, relied heavily on Mac for assistance with things most sighted people naturally take for granted. One of their favorite pastimes was sitting at the breakfast table doing crossword puzzles. Mac reading out the clues, Gloria telling him how to correctly spell the answer. And as the seasons would change, Mac would describe to Gloria the things she could not see¦ the squirrels in the yard every spring, the progress of his gardens throughout the summer, and the color of the leaves in the fall. Mac was an ardent fan of baseball and football, and a particularly passionate supporter of the New York teams¦ all except for the Yankees, that is. One of his more recent adventures was when his grandson Ian, made the trip up from Virginia to take him to a New York Mets game at Citifield, where he was surprised to discover that both of his sons had travelled from Arizona and Montana to join them. The Mets lost that day, but that didn't keep him from enjoying his "Mets with Mac" weekend. Mac's love of sports guided him into a brief career in the 1980's and 1990's as host of WKDR's "Sports Weekend with Mac McClary". His show included sports updates and, his favorite part, the sports trivia segments when folks would call in from the North Country and Vermont in hopes of winning a coveted Sports Weekend coffee mug. If there had been an award for the person who called in to the show from the furthest away it would have likely have gone to his son Stephen, who phoned in from Okinawa, Japan, to wish him an on-air "Happy Birthday!" in 1990. For nearly 20 years, he served as team historian of the Plattsburgh North Stars semi-pro football team until his failing health forced him to step aside in 2014, but he shared in their victories, nonetheless, as Empire Football League Champions in 2010 and 2014. Mac was inducted into the North Stars Hall of Fame in 2010, after 19 years of dedicated service to the ball club, on "Mac McClary Night" held in his honor. In the last months of his life, Mac was visited by many close friends and relatives from as far away as Washington State and Virginia, each paying their respects and offering words of support. Throughout his illness, he never lost his contagious sense of humor, and he remained alert, polite, unselfish and as always, very gracious. And incredibly brave. Calling hours will be held on Sunday, January 11, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad St. in Plattsburgh. Funeral services will follow at 3:00 pm in the Brown Funeral Home Chapel. Entombment will be at Whispering Maples Mausoleum in Plattsburgh. Memorial donations may be offered to Hospice of the North Country, 358 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, N.Y. 12901. Arrangements are entrusted to the Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad St. Plattsburgh, New York 12901 (518) 561-3980. Online condolences and memorial candles may be offered at www.brownfuneralhomeinc.com.