LEWISTON – Clayton Winfred Peary Jr., 80, of Readfield, passed away on Jan. 9, at Central Maine Medical Center.

He was the son of Clayton W. Peary Sr. and the former Florence Amor, in Portland, July 17, 1925.

He attended Bridgton schools, and earned his GED in 1956. He married the former Eva Grant of Portland on Oct. 27, 1951.

He served in the U. S. Navy during World War II, where he was awarded the Victory WWII medal, the Asiatic Pacific Area medal, the European African Middle Eastern medal and two stars. He later served in the Maine Army National Guard in Augusta and retired from the Maine Air National Guard in 1985.

He lived in Manchester for 30 years and moved to Readfield in 1999. Mr. Peary and his wife, Eva, operated a television sales and repair business in Winthrop for several years. He later taught electronics at Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute in Auburn until his retirement.

One of his greatest loves was sailing. He and his wife owned and restored several sailboats over the years, and spent many summers sailing along the Maine coast. They also owned several motor homes and enjoyed a number of trips across the U.S. and Canada sightseeing and visiting family and friends.

He was a 32nd Degree Mason and an accomplished amateur boxer whose hobbies included building model wooden boats; many of which have been given to loved ones as keepsakes. He also enjoyed skiing, cribbage, reading, boating, fishing and online bridge.

He is survived by his brother, Robert, of Scarborough; his twin sister, Alyce Parker, of Sun City Center, Fla.; his daughter and son-in-law, Catherine and Mark Hayden, of North Monmouth; son and daughter-in-law, Gregory and Carole Peary, of Glendale, Ariz.; four grandchildren, Nanci Dorrian, of Fairfield, Jeremy Hayden, of Copperas Cove, Texas, Jonathan Hayden, of Woolwich and Brian Peary, of Corrales, NM; four great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and a special friend and bridge partner, Winnie Nicholson, of North Bay, Ontario, Canada.

He was predeceased by his wife of 47 years, the former Eva L.O. Grant; and a brother, Harold.

Copy the Story Link