John L. McCauley Jr. of Newport, R.I., and a longtime resident of Vineyard Haven, died on the threshold of summer, June 20, surrounded by his loving family and friends after a brief illness. He was 86. He lived a beautiful life, full of family, friendship, and love.

John was born in Providence, R.I. on June 4, 1931, the son of John and Helen McCauley. He attended St. Michael’s School and was active in St. Michael’s Parish. He attended La Salle Academy and was a standout athlete in football, basketball, baseball and track. He led the La Salle Football team to the state championship in 1948 and earned a football scholarship to Boston College, where he became a loyal, lifelong Eagle upon graduation in June 1953. 

Through football he discovered his passion for coaching. He began teaching and coaching football at St. Bernard’s in Fitchburg from 1953 to 1958. In the summers he started and ran summer youth camps in that area. In 1959 John had the good fortune and blessing to happen into a telephone discussion with Katie Hini of New York city and West Chop, who was running a performing arts camp on her property in West Chop. She wished to expand that camp into a daycamp for Island children, and John immediately accepted the job. At the time he had never heard of Martha’s Vineyard and wasn’t aware that is was an Island.

But in the summer of 1959, newly married to his wife, Gerry, John opened Camp Aquinnah out in West Chop. He ran the camp for 10 years and fell in love with the Island, its people, and all of its mystery and charm. He made many good friends on the Island and was proud to be part of it. The Island became a very important and central thread at the center of his family for almost 58 years. John and Gerry’s home on Pine Tree Lane became a sacred gathering place for their family and friends for summers that were filled with the full embrace of Vineyard life and created powerful memories of laughter, love and fun. John’s work continued to allow him “working summers” on the Vineyard and he had terrific experiences playing body double to Robert Shaw in Jaws and managing and running the East Chop Beach Club throughout the 1970s.

He went on to earn his master’s degree in education from Fitchburg State University. Later, he took a coaching and teaching position at Dedham High School in Dedham from 1958 to 1962 before returning to Boston College to coach football from 1962 to 1967. He accepted a position to coach football at West Point from 1967 to 1973, under Tom Cahill. Later he returned to Rhode Island as Portsmouth Abbey School’s athletic director and head coach of football and baseball from 1974 to 1988. He loved mentoring students and athletes to discover and develop both athletic as well as their personal abilities. He coached character and provided lifelong encouragementto develop all aspects of their lives. He cherished the many deep and enduring friendships made throughout the course of his life.  

Faith and family defined John, who was a consummate family man who gave completely of himself to his wife, family and friends. Nearing the end, he humbly reflected that all of his dreams had been fulfilled but that “of all the great things in this life, family is without a doubt the greatest.” He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Geraldine M. McCauley (Cooke) of Newport, R.I. Next to his deep abiding faith in God, he adored his beloved wife. They shared a life together that exemplified true love and commitment and he often claimed Gerry made him “the luckiest guy in the world.” He is also survived by his six children and their spouses: proud sons John McCauley 3rd and his wife Andrea of Stamford, Conn. and Chappaquiddick, William McCauley and his wife Lynne of Hingham, Michael McCauley and his wife Sheilah of Concord and Edgartown, and Richard of Tyngsboro, and his beautiful daughters Christine Carr and her husband Christopher of Concord and Kathryn Johnson and her husband Robert of Hingham.

He was additionally blessed with 15 grandchildren: Bryan, Brittany, John 4th (Jake), Madelynne, Courtney, Richard, Matthew, Will, Patrick, Cole, Peter, Gretchen, Thomas, Emily, and Caroline. He leaves a sister, Mary Sajben and her husband, Mike, of Chico, Calif. and his brother Robert McCauley and his wife, Susan of Narragansett, R.I., along with dozens of nieces and nephews, all whom he absolutely cherished. 

He will be greatly missed. A Mass of Christian burial was held at the Abbey Church of St. Gregory the Great at the Portsmouth Abbey School on Saturday, June 24. The family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation to the John L. McCauley Scholarship Fund at Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, R.I.