James "Jay" Laflin Kelly Jr.

Jay was born on September 2, 1955 in Corona, California, the oldest of eight children. As part of a military family, he moved regularly and lived around the United States and the world, including stints in Germany and Korea, before the family settled for a six-year stretch in Northern Virginia, when Jay attended and graduated from Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria in 1973. He later received a B.A. from Western New England College.

Jay proudly served in the US Army, with over twenty years of active duty when he retired in 1995 as a Master Sergeant (E-8). His years of service included overseas tours during the Cold War when he worked as a non-commissioned officer (NCO) in Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare and Voice intercept programs, taking advantage of his expertise in several Eastern European languages. In the US, he served in support of both military commands and U.S. intelligence agencies, primarily in the Washington, D.C. area. His awards include multiple awards of the Meritorious Service medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.

Jay was happily married to Jill MacDonald for over 36 years. They had one son, James L. Kelly, III (Jimmy), who with his wife, Danielle Kar, have one son of their own, Wesley Charles. Wes was born on November 15, 2018, exactly 34 years after Jimmy. If asked what his biggest accomplishment was, Jay would say that it was being a grandpa to young Wes. The love that he had for Wes was unmatched, and he always enjoyed playing with and reading to his grandson. Jay loved receiving updates about Wes and seeing “firsts” by way of pictures and videos when he was unable to be there in person.

Before Wes, one of Jay’s favorite hobbies was genealogy. Besides exploring the family’s legacy, he would assist other families in locating their loved ones’ graves, often by visiting gravesites and taking pictures of headstones to forward back to the family. Jay also spent time birdwatching in the backyard, trying to attract and identify new species.

Jay enjoyed his work at National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, despite feeling guilty about having one of the best commutes in the DC area. It took him longer to walk from his desk to his car than it did to drive home.

Jay loved his work, but recently decided that buying a beach house would “force” him to take some time off. Knowing that Kitty Hawk, NC was dog friendly for his Pomeranian Oscar and grand-dog Jemma and just a 4-hour drive away, he found his escape at 'Kelly Hawk', and spent as much time as possible at the beach with his family.

A “Celebration of Life” ceremony for Jay will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at Demaine Funeral Home in Springfield, VA at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Fisher House (www.fisherhouse.org).