Dr. John Franklin Mcleay

Age 89, John passed away in Omaha on June 17, 2020. John is survived by his wife, Ruth, to whom he was married for 63 years, and eight children, John (Marguerite) McLeay, Bart (Jane) McLeay, Matt (Tonya) McLeay, Peter (Carol) McLeay, Paul (Allison) McLeay and Tom (Colleen) McLeay, all of Omaha, and Molly McLeay of Dallas, TX, and Maureen (Mark) Rasmussen of Prairie Village, KS, and 30 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. John is preceded in death by his parents, Hugh Lawrence and Elizabeth (Grady) McLeay.







John grew up in Edgar and Lincoln, Nebraska, earning medals as a sprinter in state and regional track meets and also participated in high school football, including proudly playing against Nebraska football legend Bobby Reynolds. John attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and later the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, before becoming a general surgery resident at Creighton University School of Medicine, where he also taught surgery and conducted medical research. John is the son of a doctor and a third-generation physician who practiced medicine in Omaha for 60 years, except for a two-year hiatus when he was a Navy Lieutenant Commander working as a surgeon at Port Hueneme U.S. Naval Base near Oxnard, California.







John was a longtime member of the Metro-Omaha Medical Society and American College of Surgeons. For much of his career, John had a very satisfying part-time position providing medical assistance along with other local doctors to railroad workers on the Union Pacific Railroad. For decades, John also freely provided medical sevices to indigent patients unable to compensate him. Two of John’s children, and now two of his grandchildren, through his positive influence and encouragement, have extended John’s physician legacy to five generations today.







John was an only child and determined to have a large and extended family. Mission accomplished, with 57 direct descendants at the time of his passing. John was involved in many enjoyable, large family gatherings throughout his life, including summer vacations at Lake Okoboji and Colorado ski trips. But John’s extracurricular activities, always along with Ruth, were dominated by and focused on causes related to the Catholic Church. John had become ardently devoted to the Virgin Mary and John and Ruth traveled as part of many pilgrimages to visit Catholic shrines around the world in her honor.



To view a live stream of the Mass of Christian Burial go to:

https://boxcast.tv/view/dr-john-franklin-mcleay---mass-170020