Kelly, John Francis
The best Dad and PopPop passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 25, 2021 in Memphis Tennessee surrounded by the constant love of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
John “Jack” Kelly was born on September 27, 1931 in Trenton, NJ to Thomas and Elizabeth Kelly. He was a precocious little boy who loved palling around with his big brother, Tom, and always knew the value of hard work. He attended St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and served his country in the U.S. Army. On October 23,1954 he married his one true love, Doris (Bortscheller) Kelly and remained happily married until her death in 1992. After moving around the Midwest and finally landing in Memphis, Tennessee, Jack retired from GE Medical Systems receiving many accolades during his 37-year career. In his retirement he enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, working as the OPI Coordinator at his daughter Mary’s salon, and spending time with his family in Tennessee, Missouri and Ohio.
He is survived by his six children – John (Carobeth) Kelly, Carol (the late Jim) Harig, Susan (Tom) Oberkirsch, Jean (Mike) Valenta, Mary (Bryan) Crowe, and Amy Iten.
One of his favorite titles was that of PopPop to his eleven grandchildren – Jill Oberkirsch (Kris Reiling), Tim Harig, Julie (Dan) Boyd, David Valenta, Jessica DiNapoli, Ryan Kelly, Matthew Crowe, Jack Kelly, Catherine Crowe, Nicholas Iten and Nathan Iten; and to his 6 great grandchildren – Jacob, Allie, Lucas, Dax, Issac and Gideon.
We were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from our beloved Dad and PopPop during his almost 90 years on earth. Among them: Praise God for all that you have and for the gifts He gives. Go to church every Sunday even on vacation. Love your family with all your heart and make time to be together. Travel and vacation when you can. Send birthday cards. Be humble. No matter what you do always try your best. Have a cardigan handy in case you get cold. Do puzzles, crosswords, and sudoku to keep your mind sharp. When you want to watch TV turn on the Classic Movie Channel, the History Channel or sports. Read a good book. When the check comes to the table do all in your power to get it – even if it means telling the waitress that the others are terrible tippers. Emojis are fun to text. Begin and end each day with a Kona coffee. Take naps. And maybe, the most valuable lesson of all, is to never pick sides when playing trivia games because it’s much more fun to kibitz.
He will forever be in our hearts. The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to The Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, 4623 Wesley Avenue, Suite A, Cincinnati, OH 45212. www.dsagc.com
SERVICES: Visitation at KUTIS SOUTH COUNTY Chapel 5255 Lemay Ferry on Saturday, October 2 from 12-1PM. Funeral Mass to follow at Assumption Catholic Church at 1:30PM. Interment Resurrection Cemetery.