Paul W. McLearen

Paul Wayne McLearen of New Carlisle, Indiana passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on January 6, 2025 at the age of 73. Paul was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on December 7, 1951 to Paul E. and Opal (Vinson) McLearen who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his niece Sarah Barnett. He shared very special bonds with his maternal grandparents Zora and Hollis Ashcraft and his paternal grandparents John and Lola McLearen.

Paul was an avid sports fan who loved to watch football, basketball and baseball. His favorite teams were Indiana, Notre Dame, Houston Texans and the Texas Longhorns.
As a young man he participated in the first ever Special Olympics to be held in Conway, Arkansas in 1970. He won many medals in track and field, bowling and basketball.

Paul collected sports memorabilia and watches. He had a different watch for every day.

Paul resided in Texas for most of his adult life. He spent a lot of time with his father. Together they would fish, go to church and farm. He enjoyed the cows from afar. They shared a loved of McDonalds and cheeseburgers. Paul worked and retired from Cintas Uniform company.

Paul moved to Indiana in 2022. He has made many friends in the short time he was here. He loved to eat, play bingo and socialize with friends and family. He will be missed by many who will cherish his memory.

Paul is survived by his sister, Rita McLearen of Rolling Prairie, Indiana, two nieces, Lorie (Bill) Cowgill of New Carlisle, Indiana and Leslie (Jason) Quirk of New Carlisle, Indiana, three great nieces, Hope (Josh) Durden of Kimberly, Alabama, Kenadie and Kylie Quirk of New Carlisle, Indiana, two great nephews, Kamron (Samantha) Cowgill of South Bend, Indiana and Braden Barnett of New Carlisle, Indiana and one special sister cousin, Barbara Kile Mathews of Birmingham, Alabama, one aunt and one uncle, Joni (Lee) Ziegelmann of North Carolina and Gene (Vickie) McLearen of Oklahoma.

A visitation for Paul will be held on Friday, January 10, 2025 at the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 201 S. Filbert St., New Carlisle, IN 46552 from 4:00 pm est until 7:00 pm est. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 11:00 am est in the Kaniewski funeral home New Carlisle with visitation for one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow in New Carlisle Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to https://soindiana.org/ (Special Olympics of Indiana) in Paul’s honor.

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