John “Jack” Kelly

John “Jack” L. Kelly, 88, of Binghamton, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Born John Lawrence Kelly, Jr. on June 21, 1927 in Irvington, New Jersey, Jack grew up in Orange “the Valley” NJ, and was the second of three children of the late Marion (nee Slater) and John L. Kelly, Sr. Jack served for 2 ½ years in the United States Navy during World War II from 1943-1945, and manned amphibious landing vessels while assigned to the USS Cabildo (LSD-16) in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. After his military service, he returned to complete his secondary education and graduated in 1948 from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ. A dedicated educator and administrator in vocational technical education for nearly 25 years, Jack earned his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Education degrees, in 1969 and 1972 respectively, from Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey. He was a passionate reader, history buff, and story teller; his account of his war experiences is archived with The Rutgers Oral History Archives. Jack was also an avid golfer and member of the Gillens Group at the East Orange Golf Club. He was married to May M. Kelly for 63 years. May and Jack were wed on the popular CBS television show, Bride and Groom in New York City in 1951. They lived in New Jersey for 58 years before moving to Good Shepherd Village at Endwell in 2009. Surviving Jack are his two daughters and their spouses Dori May and Michael Ganisin of Binghamton and Dona Lee Kelly and John Denninger of Binghamton and NYC; his grandson Sean Denninger of Binghamton, and his brother Donald Kelly of Yukon, OK. He is predeceased by his wife May and his sister Ann Lucking of Cedar Grove, NJ.

A Memorial Service gathering family and friends to celebrate Jack’s life will be held Friday, April 29, 2016 at 1 pm at the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main Street, Endicott. Memorial contributions in memory of Jack Kelly may be directed to a local Public Library or an organization of your choice.