Guy Clary

Born in Ironton, WI on May 6, 1937 Departed on June 27, 2018 and resided in Hendersonville, TN Celebration of Life: St Timothy Lutheran ChurchFriday July 6, 2018 2:00pm to 3:00pmVisitation: St Timothy Lutheran ChurchFriday July 6, 2018 12:30pm to 2:00pm

Guy Francis Clary was born in Ironton, Wisconsin, on May 6, 1937, the last of Doyne Lionel Clary and Vivian Wright Clary's five children. He was 17 years younger than his only brother, had three sisters, and was a Methodist in a city of Catholics and Lutherans.

His father worked out of town, rejoining the family for weekends, until he was hired by Oscar Mayer in Madison. When Guy was in second grade, Doyne and Vivian bought a tavern, the Wisconsin Inn, where they became known as Pappy and Babe. Soon afterward, Guy's dad left Oscar Mayer and moved the family into the business, often sharing rooms with overnight borders.

Within walking distance was a Lutheran church. With his sister Helen, Guy began attending there on Sunday mornings.

In 1955 he joined the Marine reserves and graduated from Central High School. His classmate Dick Day introduced Guy to Joyce Ellen Erickson. Out together for the first time, Guy and Joyce remembered that they had been in the same kindergarten class. Joyce still had the Valentine's card that Guy had given her years earlier.

A couple months later, Guy left a note on Joyce's car, telling her that he had enlisted in the Marine Corps and would be leaving Madison. She was mad then, but she said yes to his proposal two years later.

With so many expected guests (from two churches, two schools, and a tavern), the couple had to hold their wedding at St. John's Lutheran Church, which was much larger than Joyce's Messiah Lutheran. Unsure of the start time, Guy was nearly late to the ceremony while Joyce worried about the behavior of her groom's family and friends.

After their wedding on June 1, 1957, Guy and Joyce spent a year in New Bern, North Carolina. They returned to Madison, where Guy could have taken over the family business. Instead, he enrolled in courses at Madison Area Technical College, took a test to work for the US Postal Service, and applied at Oscar Mayer.

Days after starting at Oscar Mayer, the post office called. He declined their offer and stayed at Oscar Mayer for another 33 years, a career that included relocating the family to Hendersonville, Tennessee, in 1973.

Working in the Goodlettsville office as the computer services supervisor, Guy operated one of the first commercially used computers in the world. When he retired in 1992, he joined Joyce at the Hendersonville Baskin-Robbins store, which they had purchased two years earlier. In 1996 they sold the store to their daughter Teresa.

Teresa had been born in 1960. Patty had joined the family in 1966; Jamie, 1968; and Renee, 1972. Once the family of six moved to Tennessee, they joined St. Timothy Lutheran Church, where several other Oscar Mayer families worshiped. Many had been friends and co-workers in Oscar Mayer cities of the Midwest.

At St. Timothy Guy and Joyce sang in the choir for more than 30 years. He served on church council and helped coach the women's softball teams. He also coached soccer for three of his children, and he watched basketball, band, baseball, dancing, and horseback competitions throughout the time his kids were young.

Guy often had a pipe in his mouth and loved to remind everybody for two months each year that he was married to an older woman. He loved playing cards, and he volunteered for several years with Hendersonville Soccer League, the VFW, and the Hendersonville Samaritan Association.

He continued to worship at St. Timothy and participated in Young at Heart at Hendersonville First United Methodist Church.

On most Fridays he and Joyce ate dinner at Fortune House with friends Karen and Bill See. Many others joined them. Guy loved to fish with long-time friend Don Dickenson. After each outing he would return with the score of first fish, largest fish, and most fish.

Guy's father passed away in 1973. His mother died in 1989. Virginia Wyss, his oldest sister, went in 1975. His brother, Roy, died in 1993. Helen Shaw died in 2004.Guy passed away June 27, 2018.

His surviving sister, Joyce Gose, lives in California. He also is survived by Joyce Clary, his wife of 61 years.
From his four children, he had seven grandchildren: Jake Greer (married to Lauren Henderson Greer), Holly Burns (married to Josh Burns), Cora McKinney, Addison McKinney, Jillian McKinney, Zachary Clary, and Amelia Clary.
Those grandchildren have five children: Carsyn Henderson, Jace Greer, Riley Greer, Mason Burns, and Reese Burns.
With James McKinney and Paul Gravelle, sons-in-law, the six-member Clary family now numbers twenty.

Guy will be remembered at a memorial service after he is cremated. He will be interred at Hendersonville Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Hendersonville VFW Post 9851 food pantry and St. Timothy Lutheran Church.