Laurence R. Nealley Jr.

Laurence Rudolf Nealley, Jr. (“Larry”) left this world Saturday, October 28, 2023, after a long and valiant battle with dementia.  He was 89.  Born July 9,1934 to Laurence and Marjorie Nealley, Larry spent his youth in Dover, NH, where he developed a lifelong love for New England, its craggy shores, its snowy mountains, and its abundance of tasty seafood.  As a young man, he attended the University of New Hampshire in Durham where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering.  Following college and a tour of service in the U.S. Army, Larry relocated to Harford County, MD to work at Aberdeen Proving Ground.  His work in field artillery testing spanned three decades and took him all over the world.  Moving to Maryland was also fortuitous as it led to a chance meeting in 1958 with Marjorie Norton, whom he would marry soon thereafter.  The couple settled in Fountain Green, MD where they raised three sons.

Larry pursued a vast array of interests throughout his nine decades, from skiing and travel to genealogy, photography and collecting and restoring antique hand tools.  Living in the Chesapeake Bay area introduced him to the joys of crabbing, and he spent many a summer day plying the waters of the Bush River and enjoying home-cooked crabs on the porch with family and friends.  In later years, his gift for wildlife photography produced striking images of bald eagles, herons, and other native bird life. Retirement provided Larry time to engage in in-depth genealogical research; he even recruited his sons and niece Janet Williamson to help discover connections to past generations.

Although a Marylander for most of his adult life, Larry’s love of New England never waned:  he avidly followed Boston sports teams, made countless trips with his family to New Hampshire and Maine and even kept a subscription to his old local paper, Foster’s Daily Democrat. That, and his lifelong New England accent never left a doubt of his deep pride in being a son of New Hampshire.

Larry’s greatest joy was being surrounded by family.  He sponsored many family reunions where he gleefully presided over lobster dinners with a boisterous crowd of children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.  He was kind and generous to all and will be greatly missed.

He was predeceased by his wife of 32 years, Marjorie Helen Norton, and one grandchild, Andrew Ellicott Nealley (Drew).  He is survived by two brothers, Peter Nealley, Sr., and David Nealley; three children and their spouses, Mark Laurence Nealley (Claudia Nichols), Eric William Nealley (Sarah Silver) and Glenn Carroll Nealley (Kimberly Smith); four grandchildren: Luke Laurence Nealley, Marjorie Susan Ingebjorg Nealley (Maggie), William Hunter Harrison Nealley (Harrison), and Louis Alderic Nealley; and long-time companion Edie Neeper.

In lieu of flowers, please remember Laurence Nealley with memorial contributions to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD  21403 or at www.cbf.org/memorial