John Hilton Sr. Kell

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather John Hilton Kell went to be with Jesus on 9 April 2002. He was born to John L. Kell, a Presbyterian preacher, and Aimee Hilton Kell, a music teacher on 16 June 1903 in McAlister, Indian Territory now Oklahoma. He graduated from Emporia State Teachers College and later from the University of Pennsylvania architecture school. In his graduate year he won all of the design medals given to architecture students, including the prestigious Woodman Traveling Fellowship to Europe where he spent 1931 traveling and painting. His first job was with renowned Philadelphia classical architect Paul Cret where he worked on projects such as the Main Tower at the University of Texas at Austin, the Folgers Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C., and the downtown main Post Office in San Antonio, Texas. While in San Antonio working on the Post Office, he was invited to play his banjo at First Baptist Church where he met a young woman he described as a "beautiful blonde" who became his wife of 67 years. For all of those years he was a member of First Baptist Church, serving on almost every committee and board during that time. Most importantly to him, for 50 of those years he was a Sunday School teacher for 6 year old children. He was one of the original associates in the architectural firm of Bartlett Cocke and Associates and the lifelong mentor for his architect son who followed him in the firm which is now known as Kell Muñoz Architects. His architecture career in San Antonio included work at The University of Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas at San Antonio, Trinity University, Trinity Baptist Church, Baptist Temple, First Baptist Church, Baptist Hospital, Seaworld of Texas, Fiesta Texas and many residences in Monte Vista. He is survived by his wife Hazel Hixson Kell; his daughter Aimee Kell Foulds and her husband Emmett; two sons, John Kell Jr. and his wife Margaret Urshel and Carrol Kell and his wife Kathleen; 8 grandchildren, Greg Foulds, Jennifer Kell, Michael Foulds, John Urschel, Jeremy Kell, Elizabeth Urschel, Scott Kell and Chris Foulds; one great granddaugther Zita and one great grandson Aidan.