John Kell Sr.

KELL, Sr., John "Jack"

Nelson

John "Jack" Nelson Kell, Sr, 80, of Buffalo, passed away on April 27, 2024, in Marietta, Georgia. He was known to his loved ones as "Jack" or the Jackal (to his beer tasting friends).

Jack, the son of a brewer, was born in Buffalo, NY, where he held jobs as a Buffalo Courier Express paper courier and as a furniture restoration specialist, for an upholstery company. Growing up in Buffalo, he played street hockey, was an avid swimmer including swimming on the high school swim team and playing baseball.

Jack met the love of his life, Barbara, during his sophomore year of high school. They shared a love that spanned nearly 70 years. They have been inseparable since being high school sweethearts. They both graduated from Kensington High School in 1961.

Jack joined the Marines in 1961. As a proud Marine, he served his country with honor during the Vietnam war and climbed to the rank of Corporal. For the Marines, he worked in the aviation wing including airplanes and helicopter maintenance. After completing his service with the Marines, Jack married his high school sweetheart and moved to Georgia to take a position with the Bendix/Lockheed corporation. His military training led him to his next final career move where he worked for Western Electric which eventually became Lucent Technologies. His career there spanned 25 years.

In his free time once in Georgia, Jack enjoyed a variety of hobbies. His hobbies including cheering on his favorite college (GT) football and basketball teams and watching professional football (Falcons), baseball (Braves), auto racing, and fishing. Jack's love of sports carried over from his youth and he leveraged that passion to be a head coach at East Marietta Nation Little League for 15+ years including coaching both of his sons.

Jack's biggest passion was as an avid fisherman and his one splurge in life was his boat which he spent countless days fishing Lake Allatoona, with his sons and friends. He fished on the Redman Tournament trail, many rivers across the US including fly fishing the Missouri in Montana, salmon fishing in AK, bass fishing in TX, AL, and across the US, deep sea fishing and tarpon fishing in the Keys/FL. Jack's passion for these activities brought joy to those around him and it is where his lifetime work friends spent their time with him.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara; his sons, John (Donna), and Michael (Kris); his grandchildren, Joshua (Kristi), Andrew, and Kaitlyn; and his great-grandson, Halen; and his sister, Sue. Jack was also cherished by his nephews, David (Ali) and Andrew (Caroline). He was preceded in death by his parents George and Rita Kell; his wife's parents, Howard and Drusilla Rose; and his sister-in-law's family, Peter, Dolly and Christopher Tamutus.

A funeral ceremony to honor Jack's life will be held at St. Andrew United Methodist Church on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 2 PM. There will also be a Celebration of Life at St. Andrew UMC on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 5-7 PM, where family and friends can come to share condolences and stories with the family. The family owned Davis-Struempf Funeral Home is assisting the family with the funeral arrangements. The address for St. Andrew United Methodist Church is 3455 Canton Rd., Marietta, GA 30066.