James O'Leary

James Bryan "Tim" O'Leary, 72, died September 29, 2012, at an assisted living facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico after a two-year struggle with cancer. The son of the late James P. and M. Louise (Ryan) O'Leary, Tim attended St. Johns Elementary School and graduated from Swampscott High in 1958. After receiving his bachelors degree from Williams College in 1962, Tim studied at the University of Lille, France as a Fulbright Scholar. He then later received both his masters degree and Ph.D. in French language and literature from the University of Michigan. He spent his career in higher education in New Orleans, initially teaching at Tulane University and then the University of New Orleans, retiring in 2004. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home in 2005, he relocated to Las Cruces, NM, a city he grew to love as much as his beloved New Orleans. Tim embraced all things French - language, culture, cuisine - and was drawn to the beauty of both Paris and New Orleans. He spent the thirty-five years of his teaching career devoted to sharing his enthusiasm for French with his students. His personal interests included traveling, classical music, cooking, gardening and spending time with his extended family and numerous friends. Tim is survived by his loving sister, Betty Anne Babcock of Braintree, Vermont, and her husband Donald; his brother, Terrence O'Leary of Avon Park, Florida, and his wife Barbara Dale; and his devoted friends, Margy Brown and Judy Glassman of Las Cruces. He was predeceased by his brother, Thomas J. O'Leary, in 1968. He also leaves six nieces and nephews as well as nineteen great nieces and nephews. At Tim's request, funeral services were private. Memorial donations to aid with cancer cure may be donated to the Norris-Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire which has the distinction of being one of the country's forty comprehensive cancer centers. Tim received months of treatment there and always credited the doctors and staff for his outstanding care. Assisting the family is the Baca's Funeral Chapel, Las Cruces, New Mexico.