John Edward Kelly was born on March 9, 1941, and died on November 11, 2023. John Kelly was born in Alexandria, Minnesota, to Edward and Mary (McCabe) Kelly. He was up in Fargo and attended St. Mary’s before graduating from Shanley High School in 1958. In the late 1950s, John was the Fargo Legion baseball team’s two-time Most Valuable Player.
He is one of only three Fargo Legion players to have received that award twice. He was honored into the Fargo American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008, and he was flanked by family and friends for the occasion. He was an All-State athlete in both football and basketball at Fargo’s Shanley High School and went on to play football and baseball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Minnesota before transferring to Minnesota State University Moorhead.
John graduated in 1964 with a degree in business and education, and he served in the United States Army Reserves from 1963 to 1969. On August 22, 1964, John married Connie (Stewart) Kelly. Lynn and Dave were John and Connie’s two children. John worked as a claims adjuster and claims manager for The Hartford, Great American, and Concord General for over 40 years.
Their summers were spent at their cottage on Big Pine Lake near Perham, Minnesota, where John liked running, fishing, and socializing on the beach with everyone. He retired to Little Pine Lake in 2004, where he liked spending time with his grandchildren, golfing, working out at the Perham Area Community Center (PACC), and defeating any opponent at pickleball. John is survived by his wife Connie, children Lynn (Chris) DeConcini and Dave (Nancy) Kelly, as well as five grandchildren:
Alex (Niki), Ryan (Sydney Fritz), Jack DeConcini, Bailey and Devon Kelly, and two great-grandchildren, Owen and Lily DeConcini. Rick, Betty, and LuAnn, his brother and sisters, survive him. His parents and younger brother, Gene, died before him. Friends and family are welcome to gather on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from 3:00-5:00 PM at John’s favorite local drinking hole, Billy’s Corner Bar & Grill in Vergas, Minnesota. 218-346-5175 Schoeneberger Funeral & Cremation Service, Perham, MN 56573 www.schoenebergerfh.com
