John Meneely

John was born in Essex, Connecticut to Henry Tucker Meneely and Elizabeth Schofield Meneely. He lived his early years in Essex before his family moved to Annapolis in the early 1950s. They first lived on the Bay Ridge farm, now known as Annapolis Cove, before building a house on Shipwright Harbor along Spa Creek in historic Annapolis.

John graduated from Severn School and went on to major in business and general studies at the University of Maryland. After graduating from college, he worked for his father at Annapolis Boat Works in Eastport before helping to found Port Annapolis Marina in 1977. He ventured out on his own in 1986, establishing a marina in Deale, Maryland, named Shipwright Harbor after his childhood home, which he grew into a thriving full-service marina, attracting sailors and powerboaters up and down the Chesapeake Bay. A well-respected leader in the Annapolis and Maryland maritime industries, John served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Marine Trades Association for several years.

Proud of his family’s history as a prominent bell maker, John was an avid collector of memorabilia from the family business. He loved to tell people about Meneely bells hanging in lighthouses, colleges, and churches throughout the country, including the bell towers of St. Anne’s and St. Mary’s in Annapolis. Ever the craftsman, John revived the family business in the early 1980s, casting his first bell alongside his father, Hank, using the Meneely Bell Foundry’s formula and patented design. John would go on to cast bells for family, friends and, eventually, customers. His passion for making bells culminated with the honor of being commissioned to cast the ship’s bell for the USS Annapolis submarine in 1992, a replica of which still hangs behind the bar of the Annapolis Yacht Club.

John was a devoted member of the Annapolis Rotary Club. Family and friends knew not to schedule anything with him that would conflict with his weekly Rotary Club lunch meetings, where he cherished his time breaking bread with fellow Rotarians, many of whom were lifelong friends. Through his philanthropic efforts, John quietly contributed over $250,000 to the Rotary Club, where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow and received the Unsung Hero Award.

John’s true passion was his children, about whom he was happy to boast to friends, family and strangers alike. Always there for his children’s milestones, John was just as present for the small moments, happily driving several hours just to cheer up his college kid with a burger and a beer.

John could light up a room with just a smile, and his belly laugh was contagious. If you met him, you were his friend.

John is survived by his children Rhea (Alan) Hartman, Megan (Brian) Calhan, and Tucker (Molly) Meneely; grandchildren Hank, Graham, Lucy, and Parker; siblings Richard and Jane (Rob Van Sante) Meneely; sister-in-law Patricia Meneely; niece Lindsay (Mark) Stearns and nephew Stewart (Perry) Wadsworth. He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry T. Meneely and Elizabeth S. Meneely, and brother, Henry T. Meneely, Jr.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, September 24th from 2 to 5 pm at:

Crowne Plaza Annapolis

173 Jennifer Road

Annapolis, MD 21401

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to:

Rotary of Annapolis Foundation

PO Box 3175

Annapolis, MD 21403-3175

https://www.annapolisrotary.org/donate