NAIFA honors the memory of past Society of FSP President Clark McCleary, CLU, ChFC, AEP, who passed away on October 20 in Houston. He led the Society during the 1999-2000 association year and had been a dedicated NAIFA member since 1966. From 2000-2003, he served on the Life Happens Board of Directors. He founded McCleary & Associates in Houston in 1972 and specialized in the use of life insurance for business continuity and compensation planning for small businesses and estate planning for business owners.
Well respected among financial service professionals, McCleary was a frequent speaker at life insurance industry events and presented to audiences in more than 40 states and Washington, D.C. He also was a Past President of FSP's Houston chapter, the School of Insurance and Financial Services at the University of Houston, and the Houston Business and Estate Planning Council. He was a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table. In 2006, the Society of FSP presented him with the first-ever Kenneth Black Leadership Award.
In 1992, McCleary was a member of the inaugural class of the NAIFA-Houston Hall of Fame. Additional industry awards he received include the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils' 2024 Hartman Axley Lifetime Service Award, the Benjamin N. (Woody) Woodson Award, and NAIFA-Houston's 2005 John N. Neighbors Award for outstanding contributions to his community and industry.
NAIFA sends our sincere condolences to Clark's colleagues, friends, and family. A complete obituary is available online.