Bill Cleary who died on February 4th, aged 73 had a happy disposition. As president of the Irish Society of St Vincent de Paul he was acutely aware of poverty co-existing alongside rapidly-growing prosperity but he believed in change. During his years at the helm of the organisation he sought not merely to bring help and support to those most in need, but promoted a spirit of self-sufficiency.
Bill Cleary was a modest man with a self-effacing personality. He was born in Cork city in 1926, the son of Martin Cleary and his wife Nora (nee O'Keefe) and grew up in Great William O'Brien Street, where his parents ran the lively establishment of Clearys pub.
He attended North Monastery School and went on to Trinity College Dublin, where he studied for a B.Comm degree. He subsequently became a chartered accountant and joined the Revenue Commissioners.
He married Rita Lawless, from Waterford, and the couple had six children, one of whom, a daughter Breeda, predeceased her father.
He retired from the Revenue Commissioners as a principal officer in 1988 and thereafter continued what was unarguably his most important life's work.
He had joined the Society of St Vincent de Paul as a young man in Cork and became more actively involved after his marriage. The society has over 9,000 members in this country and is represented in 136 countries worldwide. Bill Cleary was elected area president of the society for the Dun Laoghaire region. He became involved in fund-raising and organised a high-profile National Dairy Council milk run in aid of the society in 1985. He became Dublin regional president in 1987 and three years later, acceded to the national presidency, which he held until 1996.
Under his leadership, the society drew up a mission statement recommitting the organisation to continue its work in the spirit of the Gospel message: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat."
He was aware how poverty affected people at all levels of society. He was truly catholic in his approach and did not discriminate against the apparently well-off. Appearances, he knew, could be deceptive and if he erred, it was on the side of generosity. He had a great capacity to listen to others and travelled throughout the country generating a sense of commitment among society members.
He was particularly anxious to promote re-education and the society set aside a budget to support people in third-level education. He also oversaw the setting up of courses in personal development, mainly for women.
Another area in which he was instrumental was in developing a loan guarantee fund in league with the Department of Social Welfare and the credit unions. This has given way to the Money Advice Centres run with the support of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.
He was also active for many years in the Irish Wheelchair Association in the Dun Laoghaire area, and he served for some years on the Catholic Social Services Conference, now called Crosscare.
He played golf and was a member of Bray Golf Club.
Bill Cleary is survived by his wife Rita, daughters Margot and Noreen, and sons David, Tom and Martin.
Bill Cleary: born 1926; died February, 2000