More important than loosing the clock and radio settings, a '97 is an OBD II engine computer. I expect that it will loose its memory when you disconnect the battery, and have to ‘relearn’ its normal parameters every time you restart the car. Since most cars require several start/warmup cycles to get dialed in, the system will never be quite dialed in.
5 miles, a restart, and 5 miles home is not enough to charge your battery. That is probably why it is going dead. If it has gone dead several times, you are going to need a new battery, as maintenance free batteries won’t tolerate deep cycling very many times.
Some sort of battery tender would seem to be the best solution. If you park outside. a solar cell unit like they put on RVs while they are parked would be a good choice.