John Frederick Kane

John Frederick Kane, age 45, of Decatur, Georgia, passed away on January 14, 2018, surrounded by his family. John was born in a one-room cabin on a cold and snowy night in rural West Virginia. His childhood time spent wrestling bears prepared him for his eventual All-American status as a linebacker at Georgia, where he met the first of his seven wives with whom he lived at sea for ten years. Since John never let facts get in the way of a good story, forgive us these initial embellishments, as the obituary should reflect the joyful spirit of the person, and John was always spinning a hilarious tale.

More precisely, John was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 23, 1972, and raised in Dunwoody, Georgia where he attended St. Jude the Apostle School and Marist School. While at Marist, he was named as a National Merit Scholar and was a noted thespian who starred in the play “Our Town” as the stage manager. Upon graduation from Marist, John attended University of Georgia in the English honors program where he had many friends whom he hosted at Pineview and with whom he traveled on numerous cross-country backpacking trips out west to national parks and monuments. During his college years, John was also accepted into and attended Jesus College at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, before completing his studies at Georgia. Upon graduation from Georgia in 1996, John hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.

As a lover of Southern culture, history and music, John attended the Center for Southern Studies masters’ program at University of Mississippi in 1997, where he was awarded the Honors Fellowship Award and was a teaching assistant and the assistant editor for the academic journal Crossroads. Also, while in Oxford, John attended many blues shows in the rural backwoods of Mississippi to which he happily dragged all willing participants.

In 2001, John married Ashley Scott of Birmingham, Alabama. Thereafter, he attended the University of Georgia School of Law, where he received the award for top oralist in the Talmadge Moot Court Competition and was awarded the Alumni Scholar Award. John graduated cum laude with honors from law school in 2002.

Upon graduation, John moved to Colorado where he practiced law as a commercial litigator for Welborn, Sullivan, Meck & Tooley and, later, Snell & Wilmer. While in Colorado, John became an avid skier and added many new names to his abundant list of friends. In 2004, John and Ashley welcomed their only child Frederick Scott Kane, and in 2006, they moved to Decatur, Georgia, in metro Atlanta, where John practiced litigation at Lord Bissell, and, thereafter, at Fields Howell.

John was an incredible purveyor of exotic and obscure ideas, hobbies, sports, food and music, like the Indian shuffleboard game carrom and the culinary uses of the piquillo pepper. John loved sharing these ideas and discoveries with his family and friends. One of these ideas inspired him to invent the electric washboard, which he gave to the band the North Mississippi Allstars, who thereafter used it on albums and in shows. Due to his brilliant mind and quick wit, he constantly kept everyone around him in stiches; “he was the funniest person I knew” is a constant refrain about John. John was passionate about social justice and equal rights and dignity for all people. His love for people shown nowhere brighter than in his time as a little league baseball coach for his son’s teams where he took an active interest in every player. It could also be seen in his joy of hosting a large yearly Christmas party in Decatur for all his friends and family where he dressed as Santa and threw beads from the roof. But his greatest source of joy was his son Frederick. John cherished every moment with “Freddie boy,” especially time on the frisbee field, late night runs to the Dairy Queen, and listening to REO Speedwagon blasting from his car radio. Simply stated, John had a brilliant mind, brilliant wit and brilliant love.

John is survived by his parents Michael and Suzanne Kane of St. Simon’s Island, Georgia; his son Frederick Scott Kane and Frederick’s mother Ashley Scott Kane of Decatur, Georgia; his brother and sister-in-law Michael Kane and Mara Davis, and his nephew Charlie Kane of Atlanta, Georgia; and his brother Andrew Kane of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A memorial service will be held at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, 7171 Glenridge Dr., Sandy Springs, GA 30328 on Monday, January 22nd at 12 PM, with a reception following thereafter at the church. There is a John Kane Memorial Facebook page with other information. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in John’s honor to the Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org