John Loveland Kelsey, 91, of Vero Beach passed away in his home on Sept. 20, 2016, after a brief illness.
He is survived by his wife, Anne Hoagland Plumb Kelsey; his daughter Grayson Hardman (James) of Louisville, Colo.; his son Jonathan (Patricia) of Narberth, Pa.; his step-son Robert Plumb (Laura), of Wellesley, Mass.; three grandchildren and six step-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Shelby Leathers Kelsey, his brother, Dr. James Edward Kelsey, and by a step-daughter, Anne Plumb Root (Todd), of Avon, Conn.
Kelsey was born on May 20, 1925, to Frieda and James Edward Kelsey in Long Branch, N.J., and grew up in Allenhurst. He was a graduate of Asbury Park High School, Indiana University, and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed several hours towards a Doctorate in Business Administration at New York University.
He enjoyed a long and rewarding career in investment banking, first as an associate at Union Securities in 1950, and beginning in 1960, as a partner in charge of corporate finance at Eastman Dillon, Blyth Eastman Dillon, and finally as a managing director at Paine Webber.
Kelsey served as a lieutenant and navigator in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 until 1946. He was stationed in the Philippines, Okinawa, and Japan at the end of World War II. His experience in the service was the most formative of his life.
He had a lifetime love of golf and, in addition to John’s Island, he was a member of the Deal Golf and Country Club, the Pine Valley Golf Club, the Rumson Country Club, and Eastward Ho, Chatham, Mass. He was also a longtime member of the University Club in New York. For many years he resided on his beloved Jersey Shore in Rumson, N.J., and belonged to the Sea Bright Beach Club.
He was a man of probity, courage and conviction, and believed in the “glass half full” throughout his entire life. He had an infectious joie de vivre and loved, in no particular order, skiing, old movies, Broadway musicals, Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, travel, the Yankees, Thanksgiving turkey, his many friends, and his family. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.
A memorial service for Jack is planned for Saturday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. at St. George’s By the River in Rumson. A reception follows at the River House at the Rumson Country Club.
Condolences may be shared online atwww.coxgiffordseawinds.com.