John Kelleher

1966 - 2024

John Peter Kelleher was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon on June 27, 1966 to Dan and Pat Kelleher. He passed away suddenly from a heart attack in Bozeman, Montana on February 13, 2024.

John was raised in Tulelake, California on the family farm originally homesteaded by his grandparents, Jack and Anna Kelleher, in 1926. He graduated from Tulelake High School in 1985. As a fourth-generation farm kid, he began working on the farm at a young age and eventually returned to help run the operation for a period of time in the early 90's after his parents moved to Davis, California where his sisters and their families lived.

John graduated from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo in 1991 with a degree in Agribusiness. He was a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. After college, his interests in finance brought him to E-Trade. He later transitioned to a marketing and merchandising position for Animal Supply Company, a large pet-products distributor.

John's love of the great outdoors and a desire to work outside led him to Williston, North Dakota. It was there that he met his wife, Jessica Ruuti. They welcomed their first daughter, Evelyn, in 2014. They eventually made their way to Bozeman, Montana, a place he loved and where their second daughter, Olivia, was born in 2021. John worked as a CDL driver for a local company, D&D Construction. As a family, they loved exploring the beautiful state of Montana and created many lasting memories there. Their adventures included hiking favorite trails, swimming in a hot spring, sledding at the local hill, discovering new places and trying local fare. A favorite family tradition was climbing a mountain every year to cut down the family Christmas tree.

The pillars of John's life begin and end with his love and commitment for his beautiful family. They brought him tremendous pride and joy. He also had a passion for sports, hunting and waterfowl. John was captivated by and could identify an endless array of birds and was an avid hunter in all of the places he lived. His love of sports began at a very early age. He surprised his parents at age four when they realized that he could already read and was, in fact, reading them the sports page. He enjoyed nothing more than catching a college or pro baseball, basketball or football game -- any day of the week.

John was a present, devoted and dearly loved husband, father, son, brother and uncle. He was also a close friend and treasured hunting companion to his cousins. He had a gentle, charming nature with a quiet presence and a quick, warmhearted smile that was always at the ready.

Those left to remember and honor John's memory are his beloved wife Jessica, his two beautiful girls Evelyn and Olivia, his mother Pat, sisters Katherine (Dan) and Mary (Jeff), brother-in-law Jay, sister-in-law Lisa; nephews Teddy (Erica), Bradley and Oliver; and nieces Anna, Madison and Emma.

He is preceded in death by his father Daniel; grandparents Jack and Anna Kelleher and, Pete and Rena Schwabenland; aunt Helen Pieser; uncles Richard Pieser, Peter Schwabenland and Gottlieb Baer; and cousin John Baer.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2024 in Davis, California at St. James Catholic Church, 275 B Street. A reception and celebration of John's life will take place immediately after the mass at the home of Jeff and Mary Nicholson.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the John Kelleher Family GoFundMe.