John "Jack" L Kelly, 88, a long-time resident of New Jersey, passed away peacefully at home in Binghamton 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 Slater Kelly and John L. Kelly, Sr.

Jack served for 2 ½ years in the US Navy during WWII 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.

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 of 63 years, May M. Kelly, and his sister Ann Lucking of Cedar Grove, NJ. A Memorial Service gathering family and friends to celebrate Jack's life will be held on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Allen Memorial Home, 511 East Main Street, Endicott, NY. Memorial contributions in memory of Jack Kelly may be directed to a local Public Library or an organization of your choice.