James Leary

James Leary, age 87, entered Eternity on Friday, April 11, 2025. He was born January 11, 1938, in Byromville, Georgia, (Dooly County) to the late Cornelius Leary and Annie Mae Massey Leary. A difficult childhood and limited education during challenging times did not deter his dreams for a better life. In 1959, he moved to Rochester, NY, where he met and married his wife, Rose, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

In Rochester, James’ first place of employment was at John D. Brush, Inc., then at Tobin Packing Company, Inc. In the early 1970s, he gained employment at Rochester Products, a Division of General Motors, working there until retirement.

In the early 1980s, he began selling Sta-Sof-Fro Hair Care products to local salons from his van after work. This effort blossomed into a storefront location and small business named J&R Beauty Supplies, in 1983. Over the years, J&R Beauty Supplies became one of the leading suppliers of Black Hair Care Products in the state of New York. In 1999, James retired from General Motors, sold the business, and moved to back to Georgia, which he always called home.

In Warner Robins, GA, he quickly landed a job as a Shuttlebus Driver transporting people from the Middle Georgia area to the Atlanta Airport, sometimes multiple times per day. He loved working and meeting new people, so this job was fitting. He told endless stories of the interesting folks he met while on the road.

James enjoyed life! He loved traveling. Every summer included road trips to both familiar places to see family and to new places across the country for pure adventure. He always said how relaxing it was to be behind the wheel of a vehicle. His gift of easily talking with truckers on the road over the CB Radio landed him the Trucker handle “Jungle Jim” in the 70s. He had a passion for cars since childhood; vintage, new, and everything in between.

He also loved good food. It was not uncommon for him, well before the age of iPhone cameras, to photograph his meals before eating. He especially loved and enjoyed the delicious home-cooked meals his wife prepared throughout their marriage.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, Otis Massey, Oscar Leary, Elijah Leary, Cornelius (Sweet) Leary, Eddie Leary, and sister, Mattie (Hazel) Massey.

James is survived by his wife of 62 years, Rose (Miles) Leary of Warner Robins, GA; daughters, Janice Leary of Acworth, GA, and Stephanie Leary of Rochester, NY; sister, Everline (Leary) Lee of Rochester, NY; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A memorial gathering will be held on Wednesday April 23, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at McCullough Funeral Home. A memorial service will immediately follow at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home. James Leary will be laid to rest privately.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggest donating on behalf of James to the family fund to The James Leary Memorial Fund. 

Go to www.mcculloughfh.com to sign the Online Registry for the family. McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.