John Michael Kelly

April 26, 1939 - December 7, 2023

John died peacefully at home in Belvedere, Calif., on December 7, a date that as a history buff and a proud American, he would have appreciated! The San Francisco native and lifelong Bay Area resident was surrounded by his loving wife, children and stepchildren during his final days.

John is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Jean-Marie Thierry Kelly; his three children, Mike, Liz D’Ambrosia and her husband, Rob, Matt and his wife, Jess Denning; as well as Jean Marie’s children, Kathleen Grieve, Greg Steele and his wife, Linda, Brian Steele and his wife, Chip, and Kristen Lewis and her husband, Gerald. He was the proud grandfather of Maxwell, Vera, Kelly, Andrew, Audrey and Dylan, as well as the proud step-grandfather of Henry, Michael, Aiden, Mia, Grayson, Charlie and Theo. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Paul B. Kelly Jr.; and sister, Ann K. Jenks.

John was born in San Francisco on April 26, 1939, the youngest child of Paul Brendan and Elizabeth Sanderson Kelly. He spent his early childhood in Palo Alto before his parents returned to San Francisco where he graduated in 1956 from Lick-Wilmerding High School. He attended the University of California at Berkeley where he was a member of the DKE fraternity and graduated in 1960 with a B.S. in Banking and Finance. John was a member of the U.S. Navy where he served as Assistant Navigator and GQ Officer of the Deck on the aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CVS-20), which was deployed in the western Pacific ocean for most of the two years he served. In 1962 he married his first wife Linda Wagner and over 25 years they proudly raised their three children in Kentfield.

Upon graduating from U.C. Hastings College of the Law in 1965, John joined the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster where, as a partner for 25 years he specialized in corporate and real estate transaction law. In 1989, John moved to the client-side where he was General Counsel for a number of corporations, including Consolidated Freightways and Stanford Research Institute. In 1992, John married his beloved Jean-Marie, with whom he was married until his passing. He and Jean Marie were never far apart from each other, and they loved spending time with their family and friends and traveling.

A passionate and involved citizen, John contributed to the betterment of the communities in which he lived, including serving as the president and a long-time board member of the Seadrift Association in Stinson Beach; president and longtime board member of the Dollar Point Homeowner’s Association in Lake Tahoe; co-founder and the original president of “The Priory” tennis and swim club in Kentfield. He was a proud “Old Guard” member of the Bohemian Club and as well as a long-time member of the Pacific-Union Club.

John absolutely loved telling jokes, playing dominos, “problem-solving”, skiing, tennis, hiking and ideally spending as much time as possible on the deck overlooking Lake Tahoe.

John’s family is beyond grateful for the support of their friends, as well as the members of Hospice of Marin, Marin Home-Care and especially his dedicated caregiver, Sai who was with him day and night during his final days.

A private ceremony will be held in Tahoe next spring. In lieu of flowers, please hug your family tight and smile whenever you think of John.