JACK KELLY

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JACK KELLY January 26, 1938 - March 1, 2016 It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts, we announce the sudden passing of Jack Alexander Kelly on March 1, 2016 at the age of 78. Left to mourn his passing are his beloved wife of 56 years, Diane (nee Ferguson); his four children, Kathryn Kelly (Randy Gray), Sandra Kelly (Dan Brown), Patrick Kelly (Annette) and Heather Serino (Richard). His grandchildren: Kelly (Joe) and Samantha (Mike); Maia and Nicholas; Riley; Maxwell and great- grandchildren Bentley and Kinsley. Also, his sister-in-law Joyce Kelly, and her family Terry, Jody, Tim and Rob (Zena), sister and brother-in-law Dawn and Dennis Maxwell, and their family Karen Kemplay (Pete), Kelly Anderson (Chris) and his great-nephews, Samuel, Jakob, Calem and Kieran; and other extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Sadie Kelly and his two brothers, Dave and Gary. Jack was born a premature baby at the old Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg and was a fighter from the day he was born. He grew up in Norwood, attending Queen Elizabeth School and Norwood Collegiate. The friendships he made in Norwood lasted his lifetime. An excellent sportsman, Jack played football and baseball out of the Norwood Community Club. His true love was hockey, having played for the Winnipeg Excelsiors. Nothing made him happier than when the Jets returned to town. He spent his teenage years working summers on the Perkin's farm in McCreary, MB. He loved the hard work on the land and he always spoke fondly of those summers. Jack was truly a farmer at heart. Trading the farm for a Trade, Jack began his career as an apprentice plumber/pipefitter in 1956. He worked all over Manitoba, as tradesman and as a Business Agent for the union and was employed by Honeywell Controls for over 20 years. A proud lifetime member of Local 254, he was honoured for 55 years of service. In 1983, his career path changed and he became the owner of O'Neill's Sports Repair. The shop was famous for four things: a huge dog named Bear (a weekend guest that stayed for eight years), the absolute mess (a plethora of half empty Tim Horton's cups), a collection of out of place taxidermy, and of course, excellent sports equipment repair. He believed in the love of the game, whatever game that may be. To ensure everyone could play, he would often take trades from customers if they could not afford their bill, hence the stuffed squirrels and thousands of baseball caps. In 1959, he married his high school sweetheart Diane at St. Philips Anglican Church. Together, they raised their four children on Victory Place in St. Vital. He was supportive and proud of Diane's goal to become a nurse while being a mother to four busy children and later her work with the Board of the Interlake-Eastern Health Authority. He instilled life lessons through stories of his younger years and his famous "Jackisms". These usually consisted of mixed metaphors, colourful language and dramatic pauses. These will be remembered by family and friends with humour and affection. He was always ready to listen and supported us kids in whatever path we chose and often gave advice whether we wanted it or not. This advice being wise and helpful, even though we might not have known it at the time. There was nothing more important to Jack than family. Whether it was taking his grandchildren fishing, attending games or events, he beamed with pride. If you were his friend, you were also his family. It never mattered to him if you were family or a complete stranger, he would always ask "Do you need a hand?" When Jack retired from O'Neill's in 1994, he began his dream of rebuilding the cabin at Betula Lake that had been in the family since 1956. His project was a labour of love that we built together as a family. Being at the lake allowed him to do all of the things he loved to do such as hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, golfing, captaining his many boats, playing cards, canoeing, blueberry picking, cutting firewood and playing with the dogs, Bear and Molly. He was a key fixture on Betula Lake for many years, whether it was flipping pancakes on the annual sports weekend or the COPPs patrol. In 2013, Mom and Dad moved to Beausejour where he continued with the COPPs patrol; puttered in his brand new house and yard; set up his workshop and enjoyed his 55" TV watching the Jets, golf and HBO. Jack was a loving husband, a wonderful father, a proud grandfather, good neighbour and a loyal friend. He was a true character with a generous spirit, great sense of humor, a loving heart and an ever-present baseball cap. The family would like to thank the Paramedic Service and the Emergency staff at Selkirk General Hospital for their efforts and compassion. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at Glen Lawn Funeral Home, 455 Lagimodiere Blvd, Winnipeg at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army. Family and friends may sign a Book of Condolence at www.glenlawn.ca Glen Lawn Funeral Home 204-982-7550

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 05, 2016