Herbert Joseph Leary Jr.

LEARY--Dr. Herbert Joseph, Jr., died peacefully early Thursday morning, January 8th at the Haven Hospice, Edison, NJ. He leaves behind Lucille Goodreaux Leary of Essex Junction, VT and their two children, Kimberlyn Leary, Ph.D. of Cambridge, MA and Herbert Joseph Leary III, VMD of Kearny, NJ, all of whom were with him on that Thursday. Richard Shaw, a son-in-law, of Cambridge, MA and Patricia Ambrosio of Parlin, NJ, were with him as well. He is also survived by nephews Arthur Leary, Jr. and Sidney Goodreaux, Jr., nieces Cheryl Leary, Melissa Goodreaux, Monica Goodreaux, Melanie Goodreaux and their children. He was loved and will be missed by family, and the many students he mentored. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 26, 1937, the son of Herbert Joseph Leary, Sr. and Cecilia Bass Leary, and was the brother of Arthur Vincent Leary. He graduated from Dillard University in 1959 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Iowa. He was a Senior Engineer at the IBM Corporation in Fishkill, NY. After retiring from IBM, he became a professor of chemistry at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A born teacher with a generous heart and a visionary spirit, Leary saw far into the future and helped his children, his nieces, nephews, and his students to dream and transform their dreams into reality. He knew how to laugh and he understood what it meant to be a loyal son and friend. He was so proud of his family, in whose hearts he will reside forever.