Sesser mourns loss of city alderman Jim Kelly

By Jim Muir

The community of Sesser is mourning the loss of city alderman Jim Kelly, a man whose legacy of working for the betterment of the small Franklin County community and the entire region spans parts of seven decades.

Kelly, 78, died Saturday night at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale after a brief illness.

Jim Kelly

Kelly, a 1953 graduate of Goode-Barren Township (Sesser) High School, was a graduate of SIU and an Army veteran.  He was co-owner of a local grocery store in Sesser and then entered the banking industry, rising to the position of president of the Bank of Sesser (later Magna Bank) before retiring in 1993.

Jim was a lifelong member of the Sesser Methodist Church, where he served in various leadership roles for many years including serving as a Certified Lay Speaker.
He was currently serving as a member of the Sesser City Council; a member and past chairman of the Rend Lake College Foundation Board; treasurer and past president of the Franklin County Shrine Club; a member of the Ainad Shrine; a member and past master of the Sesser Masonic Lodge; a member of the Sesser-Valier Alumni Recognition Committee; and member and former long-time Treasure of the Sesser Homecoming Association.
Previously he served as Sesser City Clerk from 1960-1968; had served as a member of the Cache River District Lay Leadership Committee; had served as trustee of the Goode-Barren Township Building; had served as a member of the Christopher Rural Health Corporation board of directors; was a former officer and member of the Sesser Chamber of Commerce; a former member and treasurer of the Sesser Area Cultural and Development Corporation; a former member of the Sesser Jaycees, Lion’s, and Kiwanis; a former member of the Franklin County Sherriff’s Merit Board and past member of the Illinois Bankers Association.
While Kelly was a fixture at the local bank in Sesser helping many young families with their first home or car loan, he was even more widely known for his role in the community and for getting things done with a genuine smile and a quick wit.

Sesser resident Keith Ward has been associated with the annual Homecoming for 54 years and said Kelly served as treasurer “for as long as I can remember.”

Ward said the late Ralph Gordon, another long time banker in Sesser, held the role as treasurer briefly when the Homecoming Association was initially formed in the early 1950s but Kelly soon took over the financial reins for the organization that oversees the popular Rend Lake Days, held each June at the city’s Miner’s Memorial Park.

“I guess 50 years he’s been our treasurer,” said Ward.  “He’s just always been there, and from the beginning he was always a go-to guy.  When you needed something he was always there. As far as the Homecoming Association he was much more than treasurer.  Jim just looked over a lot of different areas and always made sure things got done.  He knew the dates and times we needed to get things moving and he took care of so many of the little details.  He was just a guy who got the job done and he always did it with a smile.”

Ward noted that Kelly’s work within the community went far beyond his role with the Homecoming Association.

“Jim was an active member of his church, the Masonic Lodge, Shriners and he also served the city as an alderman,” said Ward.  “I can honestly say that he made Sesser a better place to live.”

Former Sesser mayor Ned Mitchell said he knew Kelly “all my life.”

“My acquaintance with Jim spans all of my life of 66 years,” Mitchell said. “I grew up in the Methodist Church in Sesser and have attended church with Jim all of those years.  As I grew older I knew Jim as a partner in a grocery store, then as a banker, then as an Alderman for the City of Sesser.  Through all of those years I developed a friend ship that crossed all boundaries of politics, both of us different in political parties, yet we had an outstanding friendship that crossed those barriers.”

Mitchell said Kelly kept his priorities in order throughout his long history of community service.

“Through the years we served on various committees together and worked together for the betterment of Sesser,” Mitchell said. “Jim had a full and complete life seeing many projects that he was involved in come to pass, and he accomplished all of that with a very keen sense of humor.  He leaves a legacy of dedication to his church, his family and his community.”

Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore, who took office in May 2013, said Kelly was “one of the most well-respected men in the community.”

“Jim was a part of many different community organizations and he loved the city of Sesser and always had its best interest in his heart,” said Ashmore. “We had many great conversations in my first year as mayor. I will miss him and those conversations.”

Sesser businessman Randall Crocker served alongside Kelly the past 30 years as a volunteer with the Homecoming Association.  Crocker pointed out that while he was involved in many civic and community projects, a role that Kelly took on following the sudden death of his brother Joseph made a lasting impression on him.

“His brother Joseph died suddenly of heart attack when he was in his early 40s and he had three young sons and Jim made it a point to be involved and be an influence in his nephews lives,” said Crocker. “I always admired and respected him for that.”

Crocker called Kelly “a great public servant” and noted that while he was active within the community, he wore many hats on various committees and boards throughout Southern Illinois, including his role as a board member and past president of the Rend Lake College Foundation – an organization that has provided scholarship assistance through the years to thousands of area students.

“Jim spent a lot of his own personal time giving back to the community, helping others and trying to make Sesser and Southern Illinois a better place,” said Crocker. “He will be missed.”