John Reilly McKenna Jr.

1944 - 2020

Cultural geographer, former development specialist at the World Bank and green beret, Jay McKenna of Annapolis passed away peacefully on November 5, 2020. Jay was known for his gregarious and engaging personality and his love of travel, sports, and the Chesapeake Bay. Anyone who knew Jay for even a short time would say that he was possibly one of the most interesting men in Annapolis. Jay was born in Oakland California in 1944 where his late father Lt. Cmdr. John R. McKenna and late mother Mary C. McKenna were stationed during the war. Jay spent most of his childhood years in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland except for a few years when the family lived in Montgomery County, PA. Jay had a lifelong love of sailing which stemmed from what he called the "magical" summers spent at Stone Harbor, NJ. He grew up sailing 11 ft. moth sailboats at the Stone Harbor Yacht Club and was the proud owner of two moths later in his life. Jay always loved the beach and swimming and was avid scuba diver for several years. Jay attended Priory school in DC for a year and graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase high school in 1962 where he was on the wrestling team and the track team where he was a pole vaulter. He attended University of Maryland for a brief period before enlisting in the Army in 1963. His military service and training included Army language school in Monterey, CA. Jay went on to become an Army Ranger and Green Beret in the Special Forces Group. His love for travel was spurred by being stationed in the Panama Canal zone, his desire to meet people, and the interesting drive to Panama in his VW beetle with his army buddies. After finishing his army service Jay re-enrolled in University of Maryland graduating with a degree in Geography in 1969. He was the co-founder of both the Rugby clubs at UMD and at LSU. He played the position of hooker in rugby and greatly enjoyed the rough and tumble sport. After graduating from Maryland, Jay earned his master's degree in Cultural Geography from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He often described those seven years in Baton Rouge as some of the best of his life. After his graduate studies at LSU, Jay fulfilled his dream by joining the World Bank as a development specialist at the time when Robert McNamara was President of the World Bank. Jay played a key role in helping to change the World Bank's focus toward aiding the rural and urban poor throughout the world. His work involved extended travel throughout Latin America, including Brazil, Costa Rica, and Paraguay, as well as Pakistan, to name but a few. His work included traveling to Europe to contribute to various international conferences on development. Jay spoke several languages including French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese. After his retirement from the World Bank, Jay did some consulting work and later became a Sales Manager for Smith-Midland, the company that manufactures and installs Beach Prisms to prevent costal erosion. Beach Prisms are helping to prevent erosion and rebuild the coastline in Ocean Gate, NJ, Ingram Bay, VA, and other locations throughout the US. In his later years Jay continued to enjoy travel including vacations in Punta Cana and trips to Vancouver, BC with his current wife Sam to visit her late mother Ruth. With his easygoing personality and remarkable memory for names and faces, Jay made new friends easily and kept in touch with old friends throughout his life. Jay loved family gatherings, especially the big get together at Thanksgiving. He always enjoyed the camaraderie, good food, and catching up with everyone. He was an avid football fan and was always excited if Maryland, Navy, LSU, or the Ravens were winning. Jay loved good food including seafood, Maryland Crabs, and chocolate milkshakes. His love of peanut butter was legendary, as was his search to find the world's best peanut butter and the best root beer. Jay is survived by his wife of 18 years Sam (Samantha) Junod McKenna, his children Winston McKenna and wife Kara of Olympia, WA, Justin McKenna of Bristol, RI, Roberta McKenna and Chris McKenna of Annapolis, MD, and sisters Mary (Bunny) McKenna and her husband Alan Mink of Ellicott City, MD and Joanne McKenna Kla of Woodbine, MD and La Paz, Mexico. He is also survived by his stepdaughter Kelly Junod, step grandsons Brilliant and Maverick of Annapolis, MD, and his former wife Ann (Andy) Lujack McKenna of Annapolis and many loving nephews and nieces. He will be missed greatly by his family and friends. A celebration of Jay's life will be held in the summer or fall of 2021 when it is safe enough for family and friends to gather in his memory. Donations in Jay's memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.