John R. Kelly

John R. Kelly, 82, of Groton, passed away on June 26, 2025 at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center after a brief illness.

John was born on March 30, 1943 in Ithaca, a son of the late Roland and Elizabeth (Ainslie) Kelly. He was a graduate of Lansing Central School, and retired after 22 years as a field technician with Cornell University School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he was focused on plant breeding of sweet corn. In earlier years, he had worked for Cargill Salt and Smith Corona's typewriter operations at the Groton plant.

John was an avid bowler and golfer, as well as a founding member of the Tri-County Horseshoe Club. He played guitar and sang in venues throughout the area with several bands, including the Three Js.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Shirley (Henderson) Kelly, of Groton; daughters and sons-in-law, Jolene and Nick Scaglione, of Cortland and Donna and Steven Sutliff, of Groton; son and daughter-in-law, Douglas Kelly and Floxy Ogu, of Arlington, VA; brother, Roland Kelly (Patricia, deceased), of Sarasota, FL; sisters: Katherine Nedrow (Jon, deceased), of Lansing, Margaret Palmer (Donald, deceased), of Groton, Connie Deigl (Peter Forlano), of Ithaca, and Joan Kobasa (Bruce), of Lansing; grandchildren: Bryan Scaglione (Ketrina), Kyle Sutliff (Dez Shutts), Kelly Hudson (Matt), Joseph Scaglione (Aurora), Ian Scaglione (Alexa Bayes), Zackary Kelly, and Mark Kelly; and great-grandchildren: Evan, Logan, Lauren, & James Scaglione, Gianna Sutliff, and Natalie & Porter Hudson.

In addition to his parents and in-laws, he was predeceased by a great-grandson, Mason Scaglione.

Friends may call from 1:00-2:00 PM on Tuesday, July 1 at the Shurtleff Funeral Home, 103 Lincoln Ave., Groton. Funeral services will begin at 2:00 PM, with interment following at Groton Rural Cemetery.

Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to a charity of your choice, and online condolences may be shared with the family at www.shurtleffservices.com .