John E. Kelly

John Kelly, 31, of Langdon, ND, passed away January 3, 2022, in Langdon.
John Edward Kelly was born January 12, 1990, in Payson, AZ, to proud parents Vernon and Denise Kelly. He lived there until 1997 when his parents moved to Le Sueur, MN. In 1998, his parents moved again to Smithville, MO, where he attended Smithville Middle School. He decided to go to high school in North Dakota where he lived with his father in Brocket, graduating from Lakota High School in 2008. He received his welding certificate from NCSCS in Wahpeton in 2021. After college, he worked for Summers Mfg. in Devils Lake, ND, for two years. John decided he didn’t like welding, so he started working for area farmers. He was a Kelly and had farming in his blood. After several years of farming, he decided to get into trucking with his latest employer being Bata Trucking in Langdon.
John was very active in his community. He was a volunteer for the Wales Rural Fire Dept., on the board and a volunteer for the Cavalier County Museum in Dresden, ND, a member of the Mt. Carmel Moonlighters Snowmobile Club, and was the coordinator for the NE region snow grooming trails. In 2016, he received the “Trail Groomer of the Year” award for the state of North Dakota. John loved his family and friends and was always quick to lend a helping hand or tell a quirky joke. He will truly be missed by all.
John is survived by his mother, Denise Kelly, of Lawton, ND; brother James Kelly (Ashley Knofler) of Kansas City, MO; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Vernon Kelly.
A celebration of life for John will be held at 10:00 a.m. on May 21, 2022, at the Lawton Church in Lawton, ND, followed by burial of ashes at the Lawton Cemetery.