Hudson – Beloved father, grandfather and brother, John (Jack) J. Cleary Jr. of Hudson, MA and former longtime resident of Lunenburg, MA and Calabash, NC, went home to be with the Lord in the early morning hours on November 28, 2022.
Born in Boston, MA on April 22, 1935, Jack leaves behind his eldest son, John III and wife Betsy; two daughters, Linda and husband Rick, Janette and husband Brad; daughter-in-law, Carol; five grandchildren, Ricky, Noelle, Katie, Stephanie and Vanessa; brother, Ray and wife Carol; sister, Loretta and husband Mike; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends. Jack was predeceased by his parents, John J. Cleary Sr. and Loretta Cleary; his wife, Pat; former wife, Ruby; son, Jimmy; grandson, James Jr.; brothers, Frank, Billy and Larry; and sisters, Louise and Alice.
Jack joined the U.S. Navy in 1952 and was assigned to the USS Tidewater, serving honorably for 4 years. After the Navy, Jack worked as an optical and mechanical expeditor and then a buyer for ITEK Corporation for over 35 years. He worked on many classified projects for the U.S. Government, including cameras for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes and the CIA’s CORONA Spy Satellite program. He was also involved with NASA’s Apollo program, including the cameras used to map the Apollo 11 landing site, the command module camera, the Mars Viking program and many other critical projects for the government.
An avid fisherman in his younger years, Jack got his sea legs at a young age, sometimes joining his father—a fishing captain out of Boston, MA—on commercial fishing excursions. He passed his love of fishing and the sea to both his sons and daughters, who have many special memories of going fishing with their dad. Jack was a talented gardener who kept his green thumb until the very end. In his later years, he enjoyed simple pleasures—reading his daily newspaper; watching hummingbirds at the feeder; playing cribbage with his son-in-law, Rick; rooting for the Patriots; devouring delicious home-cooked meals made by his daughter, Linda; fishing off the waters of the Cape with his son, John; and beaming with pride when talking about his grandchildren.
Jack’s children invite family and friends to a period of visitation from 4-6 pm followed by a celebration of his life on Friday, December 9th at Tighe Hamilton Regional Funeral Home, 50 Central Street, Hudson, MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UMass Memorial Health- Marlborough Hospital, where Jack received outstanding and compassionate care from countless doctors, nurses and support staff. To donate, please visit support.umassmemorial.org/thankful and choose Marlborough Hospital from the “Specifically use my gift at this location” drop-down menu.
