John Michael Clarke, Jr., died August 9, 2026 at home with his family. John was born during a snowstorm in Winfield, Illinois on January 11, 1971. Before entering grade school, his family moved to Rye, NY. There he spent childhood and adolescence in Indian Village and Loudon Woods running about and making mischief.
From a young age, John had an abiding love and affinity for nature, animals, sports. Starting in the summer of 1977 and every year after, John visited Great Pond in Belgrade, ME. He grew up there swimming, boating, fishing, birdwatching, celebrating with family and friends on Foster Point Road. Maine became and remained home – a familiar and steady throughline as his adult life brought him around the country.
John attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School, living on campus in Northfield, MA. There he made many close, life-long friends and met his wife Maisley Jones. His high school English teachers were formative mentors encouraging, developing him as a writer. Indeed, John was a talented, gifted writer. He worked as a journalist for 35 years.
During high school John went to live for a summer in Eugene, Oregon. This instilled a love of the western United States and prompted him to attend the University of Oregon. While a student at University of Oregon he wrote for school newspapers, covering the 1992 political conventions. John also met up with Merry Pranksters, spending memorable time on Kesey’s Dairy Farm. Early in his career, John worked as a reporter for the Durango Herald in Colorado. He covered the women’s rodeo beat and won an Associated Press award for this work.
From there, he moved back east and wrote for the New York Post. At the Post he started a “location scout” section featuring where movies being shot in the city. He returned west and lived in Park City, UT in the early 2000s working on the creative team for the 2002 Winter Olympics. John loved alpine skiing and wrote about it for The New York Times. The Sorel winter boots he wore to keep warm on the ski slopes covering alpine events are still stored on a boot rack at his home.
In 2013 John moved to Chevy Chase, MD working as a stringer for Reuters covering the Metro Washington, DC region. There he lived with his wife, Maisley Jones, whom he married in 2017 in Kennebunkport, ME. During that time, John began writing A- hed stories for the Wall Street Journal. Since 1941, A-hed stories are the funny, often absurd front-page pieces meant to lighten the news. Being funny takes work, skill, and a wicked sense of humor. John’s strengths as a writer were an ideal fit for this writing and his articles were enjoyed by millions.
John is survived by his wife, Maisley Jones; stepdaughters, Elsie and Rose, of New Castle, NH. His mother, Dolores Clarke of New Castle, NH and Sanibel, FL. Also survived by his sister Christa Clarke and her family of Watertown, MA., and black lab pups Otis, Bear and August. Northeast Cremation Service, Portsmouth, NH assisted with services.
