John Francis Daly Jr.

John Francis Daly Jr. was born in Chicago, IL on November 14th, 1954. He was the second of four children. He is predeceased by his parents, John and Betty ‘Mimi’ Daly, and youngest sister, Judi Daly.

John’s greatest pride in life has been his family. He is survived by his wife and soulmate, Margie Ann Daly; his four sons and their families – John Francis Daly III with wife Lindsay Ware Daly and grandson John Alistair Daly, Patrick Stephen Daly with wife Sarah Jeannette Daly, Timothy Paul Daly with wife Ivey Foster Daly and grandson Benjamin Foster Daly, and Michael Andrew Daly. He is also survived by his two sisters and their spouses, Dorie and Drew Andrews and Lori and Nick Toney, as well as ten nieces and nephews: Savannah Lankford with her husband Chad and their children Layne and Audrina, Daniel Andrews, Heather Andrews, Rachel Andrews, David Andrews, Ryan Toney, Sean Toney, Iain Toney, Patrick Ferguson and Gabriel Ferguson. Additionally, he is survived by his two godchildren Ashlynn and Colton Kessler of Todd and Jenn Kessler.

As a child, John loved sports but was obsessed with golf and baseball. Growing up a Cubs fan in Chicago he reluctantly switched his loyalty to the Braves when the family moved to Atlanta in the 1960’s- to the city he would forevermore call home.

For everyone that knew him, John’s passion was unquestionably his family. When not coaching his boys in baseball he was taking them to games, introducing them to music, and creating incredible experiences and memories.

John made his career in the beer sales industry where he made lasting friendships that he maintained throughout his successful career, maintaining those friendships even after retirement with many throughout the Metro Atlanta and the Southeast.

John met the love of his life, Margie Ann Daly (née Borders), when she was a nursing student at Crawford Long. The night in 1977 when they met was as romantic and memorable of a story as there is. For 42 years, the two enjoyed several lifetime’s worth of family, friends, and travel.

John’s philosophy could best be summed by the mantra he would repeat to his sons throughout their lives- “Son, no matter how busy life gets, I will always make time to play catch with you boys. Go grab my mitt and meet me in the backyard.”

In hopes of fostering the game that was so central to many happy moments in his life, the family asks that in lieu of flowers please donate to the Coach Daly Memorial Fund set up for the Sandy Plains Little League Organization at: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/coach-daly-memorial-fund

If financially unable to do so, please just enjoy playing catch with your child.

The family will be having a small private graveside burial placing him beside his mother, father, and sister at Sunrise Cemetery in Maysville, GA on Saturday afternoon. Once pandemic health concerns settle, we will have a celebration of life in his honor.