Gary L. Cleland

Gary L. Cleland, age 76, of Swanton died Wednesday, March 22, 2017. He was born in Los Angeles, CA on October 27, 1940 to Lawrence and Irene Cleland and on October 22, 1966 he married Theresa A. Worline. He proudly served his country in the United States Navy where he found his love of aviation and became an Airplane Mechanic and Pilot. Gary was the owner of Cleland’s Outdoor World in Swanton, OH which he opened with Theresa in 1967. In 1991, he received the Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge, which is the highest individual award authorized by the U.S. government for excellence in marksmanship competition. His life’s passion was guns and gunsmithing. Gary was an avid reader of the trade and surrounded himself with books and journals. He enjoyed the outdoors and traveling the world to hunt and fish. Gary loved spending time with his family and will be remembered for his support and encouragement to be the best they could be. He is survived by his loving wife, Theresa A.; children Chad D. (Michelle A.) Cleland, Matthew J. (Michelle L.)Cleland, and Angela S. Cleland; grandchildren, Benjamin, Katlyn, and Domonic; and brother, Don (Cheryl) Cleland. Gary is preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Irene Cleland. Friends will be received for a Celebration of Life for Gary on Wednesday, March 29 and Thursday, March 30, 2017 from 2:00 P.M. To 8:00 P.M. at Neville Funeral Home, Southwest Chapel, 7438 Airport Highway, Holland, Ohio 43528 (419-865-8879) In lieu of flowers, the Cleland family is asking you to consider the National Rifle Association https://donate.nra.org/donate or the Alzheimer’s Association 2500 N Reynolds Rd, Toledo, OH 43615.