John Edward Cleary

John E. (Jack) was born in Urbana, IL on January 10th, 1938. He was raised in Rantoul, IL, and graduated from Rantoul High School in 1956. John was called into active duty in the Navy in 1957. He served on the Crash-Fire-Rescue team on the U.S.S. Ranger CVA-61 and served until 1962. After he left the military, John served as a firefighter in his hometown of Rantoul, IL on Chanute Air Force Base, and then later joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as a nuclear power electrician. In 1982 he moved to Arizona with his family. John was a member of the VFW, AMVETS, and the American Legion where he was a volunteer. John stayed in Arizona until his death on May 11th, 2021. John is survived by his wife, Betty, with whom he would have celebrated 55 years of marriage on June 11th. Additionally, he is survived by his brother, Jim Cleary of Gifford, IL, his four children-- Scott, Carl, Jackie, and Ed-- and their families. John was a loving grandfather to 9 grandchildren (one of whom has passed), 3 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Funeral arrangements will be held on June 7th, 2021 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local veteran's organization in John's name.