Gary C. Mccrea

Benton, Wisconsin

Gary Crispin McCrea, 87, of Benton, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully Friday, August 30, 2024, at MercyOne Medical Center in Dubuque, Iowa. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at St. Patrick’s Church in Benton with Rev. David Flanagan officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 3 at Casey-McNett Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Cuba City where there will be a Parish Scripture Wake Service at 3:45 p.m. Visitation will also be held from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Church prior to the service.

Gary was born on October 25, 1936, the son of Harold and Myrna (Swift) McCrea. He graduated from Benton High School in 1954. Gary attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UW-P), where he also played basketball. He then served in the US Army and was stationed in Germany until 1961. He married Marlene Harney from Galena, Illinois on Jan. 2, 1965, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Galena. Together, they raised two children, Michael and Ann.

Gary worked for several years as a foreman at the Virginia Carolina Chemical Corp. in Dubuque, where he and Marlene first met. He then was a foreman at the Dubuque Packing Company for 27 years.

Gary’s life is marked by loyal service to his community, schools, and church. He was among the dozens of community volunteers who constructed Swift Park in Benton in 1971. He served on and was President of the Benton Board of Education, playing a vital role in the building of the new Benton High School in 1976. He was actively involved in the Benton Community Booster Club for several decades and helped establish the Benton Community Fund in 2011, serving as an Advisory Board Member for several years.

Gary served on the Benton Village Board and was Village President for 27 years before his retirement in 2022. He was the recipient of the Community Impact Award from the Benton Community Development Corporation in 2023. He also served as President of the Lafayette County Development Corporation. He was a member of the Benton Fire Department for 25 years. He was a lifelong member, then usher and parish council member at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Benton.

Throughout his life, Gary was a proud player and avid fan of Benton sports teams, from youth to high school to town team ball. He especially had a deep passion for baseball. He played on the Benton High School baseball team that made it to the Wisconsin High School State Tournament Championship in 1954, then was on the Benton Braves town team ball club that played in the American Baseball Congress (ABC) state tournament at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1961 and 1962. He loved his years of playing fast pitch softball for those epic Mill Tavern teams that competed in the Dubuque Kiwanis Tournament, followed by years of play for Rocky’s Bar and the Benton Old Timers.

Gary and Marlene have always been dedicated supporters of Benton Public Schools and Benton athletics, attending hundreds of ball games over the past 60 years. He was deeply loyal to his community and was not shy about his belief that there was no place on the planet better to call home than Benton. He was known for his willingness to fight for all that was good for the people of Benton. Gary always had a certain authenticity about him, the epitome of “what you see is what you get.”

Gary is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marlene; a daughter, Ann McCrea, Benton, and a son Michael (Ann Marie Uselmann) McCrea, Wauwatosa, WI; grandchildren, Grace, Elena, and Joe; sisters, Mary Jo (Jack) Burlage, Kieler, WI, Myrna (Jim) Sysko, Benton, Marie (Dave) Keleher, Cambridge, WI, Renee (Chuck) Wartner, Benton, and Michelle (Tim) Hendricks, Dodgeville, WI; many nieces and nephews; in-laws Leroy and Marion (Harney) Cook, and Daniel and Marlene Harney; and extended family and friends.

Gary was preceded in death by his mother, Myrna (Swift) McCrea, father, Harold McCrea, and stepmother, Phoebe (Kennedy) McCrea; father-in-law, Bertrum Harney and mother-in-law, Violet Harney; infant son, James McCrea; brother, Johnny McCrea; brothers-in-law, Jack Burlage, Jim Sysko, and Gerald Harney; sisters-in-law, Norma Harney and Margaret Rose (Harney) Zirtzman; nephew, Joshua Sysko; and nieces, Deborah Harney and Sharon Harney.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Gary McCrea Memorial Fund. Memorials may be sent to the funeral home at 123 N. Jackson St., Cuba City, WI 53807.

Gary’s family would like to thank his providers at Medical Associates Clinic for their wonderful care of him over the years, and the teams at Midwest Medical Center, Edenbrook Platteville, and MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center for their excellent care of him in his final days.