John O'Leary Obituary John Benjamin OLeary, 100, passed away peacefully on July 14, 2022 in Minneapolis. Born in Kennebec, South Dakota on April 17, 1922 to Edward and Mary (McQuigg) OLeary, John spent his high school years in Waverly, Minnesota, and moved to Minneapolis for college. His early start at the University of St Thomas was interrupted by World War II, during which John was a navigator on B-17s and flew 32 missions in the European Theater, including as a lead navigator on D-Day. The GI Bill allowed him to continue his education at the University of Minnesota, where he attained a Doctor of Medicine degree, and certification in Internal Medicine. He married Jean Macheledt of Buffalo Lake on September 23, 1950, and by 1955 had established a medical practice in Brainerd. In 1969 he was invited with three other primary care physicians to start a new Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota, where he spent 25 years as a Professor of Medicine. John also continued service in the National Guard through these years, including a stint as Minnesota Surgeon General, eventually attaining a rank of Brigadier General. He and his wife Jean, who earned a Masters degree in nursing (and later worked for the American Red Cross), raised a family of four, largely in Brainerd, later in Minnetonka; and for many years hosted international students from Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Japan. John and Jean traveled widely starting in 1960, eventually to nearly 50 countries, and worked in Costa Rica for 3 months, and Japan for 3 years. A near-fatal cardiac event at age 42 had prompted life-style changes, and John became a runner into his 70s, eventually finishing more than a dozen marathons. After retiring from the University of Minnesota, John continued working as a physician in the federal prison system in El Paso Texas, and as a clinician at the Veterans Administration outpatient clinic in Brainerd, while living on Gull Lake, a focus of family activities since purchase of a cabin in 1968. Working full-time until the age of 82, he was named Minnesotas Outstanding Older Worker in 2003. In final retirement, John and Jean moved to El Paso for nearly 10 years. On Jean's death in 2014 after 64 years of marriage, John returned to Minnesota where he lived among family and friends, continued traveling and reading, and maintained a robust interest in the affairs of the world until his death. His wide-ranging knowledge, global wanderlust, relentlessly positive attitude, love of conversation, recitation of epic poems, story-telling, and humor endeared him to his wide circle of friends and family. Preceded in death by his beloved wife Jean and his four brothers, John OLeary is survived by his four children, Michael (Pakawan), Mary, Patrick (Stacie) and Thomas (Deborah), eight grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on September 16, 2022 from 12-2:00 p.m. at the Historic Fort Snelling Chapel in (1 Tower Avenue) Minneapolis, and interment at Minnesota Veterans Cemetery at Camp Ripley, Little Falls, Minnesota.