Next to his wife, whom he worshiped in ways that made their marriage the envy of friends for half a century, James F. Cleary’s great love was Boston.

His journey in the financial world took him from a Dorchester upbringing to a home with a commanding view of the city, and Mr. Cleary did not forget the steps he took along the way.

“When we used to walk to work together in the mornings, he always amazed me,’’ said his daughter, Karalyn of Boston. “He used to say hello to every caretaker in the Public Garden and on the Common. He would say: ‘Hey, great job guys. The park is looking great today,’ and give them a thumbs-up.

“He truly appreciated that they were making this city look better and look beautiful. And he loved that because he loved Boston as only someone who came from Dorchester and moved to the top of the Ritz could appreciate the city.’’

Mr. Cleary, formerly president of the Blyth Eastman Dillon & Co. securities firm and more recently an advisory director of UBS, died Sunday in Massachusetts General Hospital of acute leukemia, which had been diagnosed a few days earlier. He was 86 and kept homes in Palm Beach, Fla., Boston, and Osterville.

Applying lessons from the business world to higher education and the arts, Mr. Cleary created a second career boosting the finances of Boston College, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Pops.

“He was world-class about giving back,’’ said longtime friend Jack Connors, a founder of the Boston advertising firm Hill Holliday and former chairman of BC’s board. “He was a prodigious fund-raiser and raised literally millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars, for the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, and Boston College, among others.’’

Mr. Cleary, Connors added, was just as adept at lifting the spirits of everyone he encountered and helping others climb ladders in the working world that he had long ago ascended.