Dr. William “Bill” Clair
Dr. William “Bill” Patrick Clair, 72, of Waukon died Sunday, July 14, 2019 at Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. Funeral services will be held Friday, July 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church or Veterans Memorial Hospital, both in Waukon.
Dr. William “Bill” Patrick Clair was born March 31, 1947 in Chicago, IL to William Morgan and Mary (Mulroy) Clair. At the age of 10 months, Bill and his parents moved to Ottawa, IL, where he grew up on the family farm. He was the oldest of nine siblings. Bill attended St. Columba School and Marquette High School in Ottawa, where he played on the football team and graduated in 1965. He attended St. Ambrose College, where he was a member of Tri Beta Honor Society, and then attended the University Of Illinois College Of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and was a member of Phi Zeta Honor Society.
Bill worked at veterinary practices in Quincy, IL, Newton and West St. Paul, MN before joining Allamakee Veterinary Clinic in Waukon in 1978. He worked there until his retirement in 2014. He was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Providing care to animals large and small brought joy and fulfillment to Bill’s professional life.
Bill married Sheila Kay McDermott June 28, 1969 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Newton. Bill and Sheila had two sons, Christopher William Clair and Jeremy Michael Clair. He was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, volunteered on the Waukon Planning and Zoning Board, and worked on building the 5 Bridges Trail project in Waukon City Park and was working on the pergola project in the Memory Garden.
He loved outdoor activities: hiking, fishing, cross country skiing, camping at Yellow River State Forest and boating on the Mississippi River. His love of skiing was exemplified by his participation in the American Birkebeiner in Haywood, WI - North America’s largest cross-country ski marathon (34 miles). Bill finished the race 10 consecutive years, earning recognition each year and a commemorative award honoring the completion of his 10th race. Bill loved the mountains, taking his family out west for vacations and going on backpacking expeditions with his friends.
He also loved basketball and played in a league for dozens of years. He was always ready for a game with the neighborhood kids on his driveway. For this, the neighborhood kids fondly nicknamed him “Ed Nealy” after a former NBA player. Most recently, he enjoyed learning pickleball, which he played with friends at the Waukon Wellness Center. Bill also enjoyed amateur radio for more than five decades, making contacts throughout the world with his call sign of WBØKIU.
He enjoyed going to his sons’ school activities throughout the years and especially loved spending time with his grandson, Will. He deeply loved his family.
Survivors include his wife, Sheila, of 50 years; his sons, Christopher (Tracy) of Marion and Jeremy of Winona, MN; one grandson, William Michael Clair; six siblings: Anne (Mark) Hetelle of Ottawa, IL, Dan (Cindy) Clair of Irving, TX, Mike (Kathy) Clair of Goodyear, AZ, John (Cathy) Clair of Glendale, AZ, June (Jeff) Lavender of La Vernia, TX and Brian (Julia) Clair of Anamosa; two siblings-in-law, Dave Cole and Mary Clair; and dozens of nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death are his parents and two siblings, Mary Colleen Cole and Tom Clair.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
