Dr. Clayton Cordice O’Mary, age 101 passed away on Friday April 22, 2022 at his residence. Mr. O’Mary was born in Eldridge, Alabama on August 10, 1920 to Marion and Minnie Pearl Hamilton O’Mary.

He was a member of the Poplar Springs Primitive Baptist Church near Rock City and valedictorian of the 1939 graduating class of Hubbertville High School. After high school he started his internship at Berry Collage in Rome, GA. During WWII and his time at college, he volunteered to serve in the United States Air Force, where he trained and served as an aircraft mechanic and turret gunner on B-17 and B-29 bomber planes. After the war he returned to Auburn University on a GI Bill and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. He then went on to get his PhD from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. O’Mary’s career included teaching and research at the University of Georgia and Washington State University. He then returned to head the Department of Agriculture at Berry College until his retirement in 1982. Dr. O’Mary is recognized nationally and internationally as an authority in the fields of reproduction, physiology, and animal breeding. Dr. O’Mary has authored and co-authored twenty-eight research papers published in various scientific journals. He co-edited two textbooks, “Commercial Beef Cattle Production” and “The Feedlot”, which have been adopted into college curricula worldwide and published in English, Spanish and Japanese. With the help of his sons Thomas and Gary, he wrote and published two books of his own, “Take the Bull by the Horns” and “Della: Diary of a Country Mule”.  Mr. O’Mary was much more than a professor, he was a humble loving husband, father, grandfather, minister, author, and storyteller. Dr. O'Mary enjoyed traveling, gardening and teaching, and preaching.

Mr. O’Mary is survived by his sons, Thomas W. O’Mary and his wife Jill of Winfield, Gary O’Mary and his wife Sharon of San Diego, CA, and his stepson, David Young and his wife Theresa of Alexander City, AL, 13, grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 5 great great-grandchildren, a sister, Opal Hollingsworth of Fayette and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives, church family and friends. He was preceded in death by his wives, Grace Marie Zwigart O’Mary and Susie Myrtle Young O’Mary, his parents, a sister, Dorothy Hewitt and brothers, Ray O’Mary and Hollis O’Mary.

Funeral services for Mr. O’Mary will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. from the Bowen Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow in the Fayette Heritage Memorial Garden. The visitation will be held on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. service time at the funeral home. Bowen Funeral Home of Winfield, AL serving the O’Mary family.