Anthony J. Clair, 71, described by family and friends as the “quintessential South Sider,” died at home Saturday, April 16, after a battle with cancer. As a priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, he served at Our Lady Help of Christians on the West Side, at St. Germaine in Oak Lawn and as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. In the 1960s, his life changed direction and he married Carol O’Brien in 1968. The couple spent five years in Colorado, where Mr. Clair worked at a Denver housing and urban development office, before moving to Palos Heights. In 1973, he was hired as a franchise recruiter for the Midas Corp., a company he would serve for more than 25 years. In 1977, he became Midwest regional manager in franchise operations for Midas, but he maintained his office on West 42nd Place on the South Side. Mr. Clair retired in 1998 as the district manager for southern Cook County and northwest Indiana, which he had positioned as Midas’ top district in the country for sales increases. He coached a stepson’s basketball team and he loved sports, his family said. Besides his wife, survivors include a stepdaughter, Kerry O’Brien; two stepsons, Darren and Colin O’Brien; a sister, Anne; and a brother, John. Services have been held.
