Walter Cleary

1930 - 2025

Walter Cleary

July 7, 1930 - December 21, 2025

Durham, North Carolina - Cary, North Carolina - Walter Eugene Cleary, a resident of Durham from 1969-2023, died on December 21, 2025, at the age of 95. He and his wife Gwendolyn were devoted and loving parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, setting high expectations for their children to excel, become independent, hard-working adults, and to give back to their communities. Mr. and Mrs. Cleary were forever proud of all their children. Since November 2023, Mr. Cleary has been a resident of Waltonwood Cary Parkway residences in Cary, North Carolina.

Mr. Cleary was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 7, 1930. He was raised in Pittsburgh and attended Peabody High School. He was a talented scholar-athlete, competing in football, wrestling, track and field and swimming. He was the son of the late Joseph Buchanan Cleary and the late Isabelle Celestine Casey Cleary. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gwendolyn Sloan Cleary, who passed away in June 2025, by his brothers Jack Cleary and Joseph Cleary, by his sisters Geraldine Slaypoh, Patricia Audette, and Anne Cleary, and by his granddaughter, Sloan Elizabeth Cleary.

Mr. Cleary attended Westminster College on an athletic scholarship and graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania where he met his future wife, Gwen, whose father Samuel Sloan was an economics professor at the college. The Cleary's were married in 1952 and raised their family of eight children (four boys and four girls), first living in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania until 1969 where Mr. Cleary taught high school World Culture and served as the Head Football and Track Coach, and assistant wrestling coach of Hopewell High School. The family moved to Durham, North Carolina when Mr. Cleary became a Duke University Assistant Football and Track coach. After 7 years as a Duke football and track coach, Mr. Cleary was named Executive Director of the Duke Faculty Club where he served from 1976 through 1989. Throughout his life, Mr. Cleary was endearingly called "Coach" by high school students in Pennsylvania, by college students at Duke, and by hundreds of children whom he taught to swim at the Duke Faculty Club.

In 1989, Walt and his family opened 9th Street Active Feet, a technical running store in Durham, North Carolina, which they ran from the time that Walt left Duke in 1989 until 2023. The Cleary family closed the store after 34 years in 2023 when Mr. Cleary retired at the age of 93.

Mr. Cleary is survived by his eight children: Deborah Wilkins (John) of Fuquy Varina, Walter Kim Cleary (Lisa) of Corbin, Kentucky, Bart Cleary (Cindy) of Durham, Brad Cleary (Susan) of Banner Elk, Lisa Cleary (Warren) of New York, New York, Beth Alcala (Joe) of Durham, Mark Cleary (Karen) of Wrens, Georgia, and Lorrie Jo (Mark) Cleary of Springville, Alabama. In addition, he is survived by 16 grandchildren. Megan, Ryan, Colin, Kyle, Matthew, Laura, Allison, Macy, Alex, Sarah, Nicolas, Samuel, Sam, Sarah, Jamie and Zachary; and 12 great-grandchildren, Lennon, Adelyn, Caroline, Quinn, Jackson, Harper, Catherine, George, Claudia, Pierce, and Henry. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Beverly Holzhauser; and niece, Cyndi Holzhauser.

A graveside burial for immediate family will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 27th in Durham. A Memorial Service to celebrate Mr. Cleary's life will take place on February 28, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Clements Funeral Chapel in Durham. The family will receive friends from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the service at the funeral home.

The family is being assisted by Clements Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc. in Durham. Online condolences may be sent to www.clementsfuneralservice.com