All of the Elders were together on this past Sunday, less one. But he was in
the thoughts of all of them. "Have you heard any more about Clary?", they'd
ask. "What a shame they'd say. He's such a great guy." That was the consensus
of everyone. "What a fine man." "One of the best there is." "Class act."

I first remember Clary as the guy that often stood under the 'Toby' trees on
Afton Avenue and watched Little League games in the sixties. If you were
fortunate enough to sit on the first base dugout, he'd always offer a few
pointers to those in the on-deck circle. But if you were REALLY fortunate, you
were chosen by Clary to play for Jenny Lee in Pony League - that was Clary's
team, and the one that everyone aspired to play for. My brother Greg was one of
the fortunate ones. He was trained well, progressed as a player and really
learned to play with respect - one of Clary's primary requirements. And like
many of Clary's players, they had a coach for life.

Clary always remembered the names of his players.

For many years, and everytime I heard his name, the comments were the same.
"What a fine man." Everyone in Crafton and surrounding towns knew him, it
seemed. Therefore I was excited to learn that he was going to part of the
Crafton Memorial Committee.

His contributions to the committee were immeasurable, as were his stories. I
always thought it strange that when multiple conversations were occurring at the
meetings, eventually Clary was the only one speaking. One 'Elder' later said
that if Clary was speaking, it must have been important.

Clary never spoke about himself - he was not selfish in that respect. It was up
to the others to tell me what a fine athlete he was in his day, how they never
heard him swear, how talented he was in his career and that he volunteered his
time for many good causes. And then there was family.

Clary's love of his wife, Jean, and his children was a known fact with the
Elders. "That Jean McGovern was really special", they'd say. "And Clary
deserved the best."

Jack Gorman, another Elder and longtime friend said it best today. "If Clary
Stewart is not in heaven right now, the rest of us are in trouble."

I last saw Clary on the 4th of July. I was at the park for the festivities and
stopped by his home to wish him the best on the holidays. We talked for only a
moment, but as I left he asked his usual question. "How are your boys?".
Being a fellow Marine, he always kept tabs on them. "They're OK," I said, "but
I'll really be glad when they get out." "Well, I'll be thinking of them," he
said. He smiled as he closed the door.

I'm glad my sons got to meet him. For them it was always special to meet a
Marine from another era. I'm going to e-mail them now and let them know.
Somewhere in the text it will read ... "He was one of the finest men I ever
knew."

Our sincere condolences go out to his family and close friends.

Clary, you will be in our hearts forever; sadly missed by all of the
Elders.

Joe Murray, '39
Chuck O'Mahoney, '41
Bill O'Connell, '43
Tom Witt, '44
Chuck Grube, '44
Jack Gorman, '47
Mark Schuster '75
(Canevin)

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STEWART
CLARENCE W. "CLARY"

Age 81, of Crafton, peacefully surrounded by family Mon. Sept. 12, 2005; husband
of the late Jeanne McGovern Stewart. Loving father of Gary (Karen) Stewart, Jim
(Jan) Stewart, Linda (Robert) Rambo and Sandra (Harvey) Smith; dear grandfather
of Ryan (Amy), Laura, Rachel (Vertus), Brian, Sarah, Peter, Dane, Ethan, Steven,
Celina and Julia; great-grandfather of Nikki, Caroline, Kearsa, Christopher and
Alyna. Brother of Elsie Mae Walker, Mary Lou Morton and the late Ruth Walker.

Clary was a WWII veteran with the US Marine Corp. and was very involved with CIT
baseball and Crafton Celebrates.

Friends received Wed. & Thurs. 2-4 & 7-9 PM at the SCHEPNER-MCDERMOTT FUNERAL
HOME, 165 Noble Ave., Crafton. Funeral service 11 AM Fri. in the Crafton United
Presbyterian Church where Clary was a long time active member.

If desired memorial contributions may be made to The Westmoreland Hospice, 532
West Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, PA. 15601 or CIT Baseball, P.O. Box 44168,
Pittsburgh, PA. 15205.

Please sign the Guest Book at
http://www.legacy.com/postgazette/Guestbook.asp?Page=Guestbook&PersonID=15088539

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