Obituary of John L. Kelly, Jr
John L. Kelly, Jr, of Morristown, N.J., passed away on September 11, 2024. The cause of his death was complications from colon cancer. John lived his early years in Newark, NJ where he was born in 1953. He and his family moved to Morristown in 1975. John was self-employed and spent decades working in homes and businesses in and around Morris County hanging wallpaper. He was a fastidious and talented craftsman who took pride in his work but would never become “stuck up.”
John was predeceased by his father John L. Kelly, Sr, and his mother Elizabeth “Betty” Kelly. The Marx brothers, Grandfather Jake and Uncle Johnny, were great influences and his mentors in comedy. John followed in their path, facing life’s challenges with humor, a beer and maybe a hot dog with a little cheese. For several years John shared his unique sense of humor daily with the memory care residents of Sunrise Living of Madison when visiting and tending to his mother. After Betty’s death John continued to visit Sunrise, volunteering his time and talents to the delight of the residents and staff he befriended during Betty’s residence there.
John graduated from Vailsburg High School in 1971. He attended and graduated from Southern Benedictine College (St. Bernard’s College) in Cullman, Alabama.
He is survived by his sisters, Karin Weisert and Maura Rogers and his brother P.J. Kelly. Brothers Kevin Kelly and Bill Kelly predeceased John and were greatly missed by him during the years that followed their deaths.
He became the next generation’s “Uncle Johnny” to his nieces, Megan Rogers, Elizabeth Rogers and Kelly Weisert, his nephew Tom Rogers and his great niece Hadley Rogers. The advice on life that only Uncle Johnny could give will be sorely missed. He can rest in peace knowing that the secret of the shirt trick will be passed on to future generations.
Some final words of wisdom to all John’s loved ones: don’t get behind on your colonoscopies. Poop jokes aren’t the number one reason to get a colonoscopy but they are definitely number two.
Donations in John’s memory to The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ (www.f4mmc.org) or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN (www.stjude.org) would be greatly appreciated.