John Francis Cleary, Jr., affectionately known as “Mr. Wonderful” of Worton, Md., passed away on July 29, 2026, surrounded by his loving family at home.

John was born on Feb. 14, 1944, in Bayonne, NJ, son of the late John Francis Cleary and Catherine Regina Cleary, nee Stanton. He was raised in Leonardo, NJ, Edgewood, Md., and Wilmington Manor and was a graduate of the University of Delaware with a B.A. in Biology. From 1966-1968, he served in the U.S. Army. After his honorable discharge, he worked in several factories throughout the shore while raising his children. Later, he went back to nursing school and became a psychiatric charge registered nurse, retiring from the state of Maryland after 20 years of hospital service. He had a gift of treating everyone the same and was especially gifted in serving patients with mental health concerns.

As a young man, he volunteered at the Wilmington Manor VFC. John was a nature lover and enjoyed watching and identifying birds. He volunteered for many years at the Eastern Neck national wildlife refuge. Mr. Wonderful enjoyed sailing, fishing, swimming, travel, table tennis, nature walks, and ice cream. He loved to laugh with family and friends and was often heard saying “No Fools, No Fun”.

Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by a stepson, Chris Garside.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Pamela M. Cleary; four children, Ann Stanton Cleary (Ignacio Genzon) of Los Angeles, Cal., John Francis Cleary III of Bethel, Catherine Regina Cleary Dongarra (Sharon Dongarra) of Baltimore, Md., David Michael Cleary of Bethel; the mother of his children, Patricia Ann Kough, nee Lawrie of Bethel; a brother, Michael Cleary of Tucson, AZ; sisters, Mary Ann Beck of Malvern, Pa. and Gwen VanSciver of Malvern, Pa.; six grandchildren, numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be offered to the Samaritan Group of Kent County: https://www.samaritangroupofkentcounty.org/

Arrangements by Galena Funeral Home of Stephen L. Schaech.