John F McClenaghan

Born and raised in Springfield, MA until he moved to Upper Arlington at the age of 13 with his family.

Survived by wife, Betty (Clark), daughter Christina McClenaghan (Nick Bagalstein), sisters Linda McClenaghan (Rich Gaskalla), Dawn McClenaghan, sisters-in-law Rosemary Clark, Patricia (Ed Shackelford), niece Brooke Vimtrup (Jeff Bond) and nephew, Brent Vimtrup (Eileen Mosher). He is also survived by his furry children, Fred and Barney.

John was pre-deceased by parents, Emma & Stewart McClenaghan, daughter, Kara McClenaghan, brother-in-law Jerry Clark.

John and Betty were married 30 years ago in Maui, and they both fell in love with the area. They visited Maui as often as they could and enjoyed their time exploring the island and its many hidden treasures.

John loved his dogs, football, friends, Dublin, politics, and family – not necessarily in that order! He enjoyed being a member of the Dublin Historic Society and giving tours of the historic area to Dublin school students. He was proud to have played football at The Ohio State University under Coach Woody Hayes from 1964-1968, and being on the ’68 National Championship team.

There was nothing he loved better than floating in his pool during the summer months and regaling stories of the past. He made sure that everyone had their own float – including the dogs. While floating, he’d reminisce about past July 4th activities, Christmas traditions, and voicing his opinions (sometimes somewhat loudly!) about politics. His family affectionately nicknamed him WBOK “Walking Book of Knowledge” because he had an answer for everything.

John gave so much of his heart to others that he neglected to leave enough for himself, and he died of heart failure at Dublin Methodist Hospital on June 29, 2023. The family would like to express their sincere thanks to their friends, neighbors, doctors, WTFD EMS, and nurses who helped John throughout his fight.

Since John was hardly ever without a ball cap on his head, we invite those who would like, to wear their favorite ball cap when we join together at Schoedinger Dublin on July 12th to celebrate John’s life. Visiting will take place beginning at 2:00 p.m., and there will be a brief story-telling service at 3:00 with family friend, Jim Lillibridge, officiating. Following the service, there will be a reception from 4:00-6:00.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Miracle League of Central Ohio (MiracleLeagueCentralOH.org).