John Joseph Kelly was born April 27, 1937, in Rylane, County Kerry. In search of his own piece of the American dream, a young John Joe took a leap across the Atlantic and found his start in New York City. After a brief stint as a builder in the US army, where he perfected his carpentry skills, John headed north to Alaska to be part of the post-earthquake building boom. Through the connections of Alaskan Irish friends, the handsome lad soon met the love of his life, Diane Joy Gasperlin. The pair married in 1970 and raised five strong boys bearing good Irish names. Twins ran in John’s family for generations, and he was proud to be the father of two sets with his wife. John travelled back to Ireland many times with the whole family, starting when the boys were all quite young, and instilled in them all a love of his home. John was fortunate to visit with all of his siblings on his last trip to Ireland, more than fifteen years ago.
In 2020, John and Diane celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and in 2023, they raised a glass on their youngest boys’ 50th birthday. The loving couple remained in the house that John built in Anchorage, Alaska, until Diane’s death this spring. Sadly, when John said goodbye to Diane his blue eyes lost their sparkle. After several trying months followed by a brief illness, John passed peacefully on September 19, 2023. He has now joined his beloved wife and their son, Patrick. John was also preceded in death by his parents, Lena and John, and siblings Mikey, Mary, Mattie, and Anthony Kelly of Rylane. John is survived by his brother Patsy and nephew Johnny and family of Rylane; son Sean (Patrick’s twin), wife Melissa, and twins Kathleen and Daisy; son Frankie, wife Hayley, and children Owen, Quinn, and Chelsea; son Kevin and wife Carol, all of Anchorage, Alaska, USA; and son Danny and wife Faith of New Mexico, USA
Funeral will take place in Canada.
Requiem Mass will be live streamed on Wednesday, 11th October at 8.00 p.m. Irish time on: https://st.patsak.org/
