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Arthur O'Leary, one of few U.S. Naval officers to earn both wings and dolphins, was born March 6, 1921 in Providence, Rhode Island. He is survived by his former wife, Eleanor Peirce O'Leary; and three children, Rae Kozai of Chandler, Arizona, Rob O'Leary and Alison O'Leary, both of Albuquerque; six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1943, when he married Eleanor, his childhood sweetheart. Arthur served in the Pacific for the rest of WWII, with five war patrols on the submarine USS Piranha. After WWII ended he made tours as gunner on the battleship USS Wisconsin and executive officer of the carrier USS Hancock. His military career continued with flight training and postgraduate study in nuclear physics at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Commander O'Leary worked in nuclear weapons programs at Sandia Base in the 1960s. He retired from the Navy in 1969 and moved to Los Angeles to work for Hughes Aircraft. Arthur then owned a boatyard in Marina Del Rey, specializing in concrete-hulled sailboats. He spent many hours recording textbooks for the organization recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. In 1999 he moved to Albuquerque to live near his family. There, Arthur helped with the building and staffing of the Veterans Memorial Park in Albuquerque, and enjoyed his time with the local Submarine Veterans Chapter. A military service will be held Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 2:00 p.m., at Santa Fe National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Albuquerque Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana S.E., Albuquerque, NM 87108-5009. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
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