John T. Kelley Jr.'s Obituary
John T. Kelley, Jr., (70) went home to be with his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, on 05/18/26 after decades long struggles with Type 1 diabetes and cancer and their attendant numerous challenges.John was born in Dover, Delaware at Kent General Hospital and lived in Dover his entire life, except for the four years he attended Washington and Lee University, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Lexington, Virginia. He graduated in 1978 from W&L with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.John was a member of First Baptist Church of Dover. He served in different capacities on numerous Boards and Committees during his years at First Baptist. He regarded First Baptist as his home and family.During his working career he served in various capacities. John worked as a store detective, Loss Prevention Manager, Field Auditor, Director of Loss Prevention, and Regional Loss Prevention Manager. He held these varying positions for two employers throughout his early career, spending over 20 years in the retail industry working for The Dry Goods and Value City Department Stores. Once leaving retail, he worked in the fulfillment industry at Interactive Marketing Services/New Roads in Ridgely, Maryland as their Manager of Safety and Security and for the Port of Wilmington (Diamond State Port Corporation) as the Manager of Safety and Training. In 2022 after 16 years as the Risk Management Safety Officer for the State of Delaware’s Insurance Coverage Office, John retired. John enjoyed his working career and the hundreds of different people he came to know in his various capacities.Though John had several passions in life his priorities never changed: His faith in and love of God was first, his family and friends were second and his career was third. John loved to read – his Bible, books on theology, prophecy and history (Civil War and WWII), mysteries and biographies. He was a collector – books of all genres, pencil sharpeners, I Love Lucy memorabilia, diecast and plastic model cars, ships and planes (having a collection of over 100 at one time) and all things pertaining to lighthouses. He enjoyed writing free style poetry when the Holy Spirit directed his words and thoughts.He was preceded in death by his father, John T. Kelley, Sr. (1985), his stepfather Carlton Lee Hutchins (2010), his niece, Kelley Lyn Campbell (2013), his mother, best friend and mentor Leona Kelley Hutchins (2023) and inspirational sister Carol Campbell (2024) and his brother-in-law, James Campbell (2024), who was a great friend.He leaves behind the apples of his eye in his precious daughter, Amber Lynne Kelley (Corbin) of Dover, grandson Jax Corbin Farrow and granddaughter Isabella Alice Farrow. Precious survivors are his sisters Darlene (Eric) Richardson Harrington, DE, Martha (Paul) Pfeiffer of DelMar, MD and Mary (Tim) Herzing of Baltimore, MD, his niece DiAnita (James)White and their children, Penelope and Gabriel (all of Middletown, DE) and his nephew, Joshua John (Jackie) Van Arsdall and their sons, Michael and Joshua, and daughters Isabelle and Rebecca “Becca” (all of Harrington, DE). Additionally, John leaves behind a host of family and awesome friends in the membership of First Baptist Church and friends from his 16 years at the State of Delaware Insurance Coverage Office.A viewing (11am) and Celebration of Life (Noon) will be held beginning on 05/25/2026 at First Baptist Church, 301 Walker Road, Dover, DE with Pastor Brian Cunningham officiating.In lieu of flowers, John requests donations in his memory be made to any of the following: First Baptist Church, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation or the American Cancer Society.
Letters of condolences may be sent to http://www.traderfh.com
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