John Gurn Kelbaugh Jr., concrete contractor
Join us in celebrating the life of John Gurn Kelbaugh Jr., 88, of Frankford. He was born May 13, 1930, in Pottstown, Pa., to Helen (Chenowith) and John Kelbaugh Sr. He passed Monday, May 6, 2019, in Frankford, in his home with his loving daughters beside him until his last breath. He went on to his new home which God gloriously prepared for him to spend eternity with his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
His family moved to Baltimore, Md., in 1940 and John Jr. entered the labor force at the ripe age of 11, delivering newspapers for the Baltimore Morning Sun in addition to selling magazines to the same people he delivered newspapers to. At age 12, he added the position of a soda jerk, working for the Loch Raven Drugstore was added to his resume. If that wasn’t enough, on weekends he would caddy at the Hillendale and Mount Pleasant golf courses of Maryland.
John entered the U.S. Navy in 1948 and was honorably discharged in 1952, having served on the DDR830 Larson when Israel became a nation and the USS Midway during the Korean War. Out of the Navy, John began doing concrete work doing footings of houses, steps, porches, sidewalks, in addition to building homes and a church (Joppa Gospel Tabernacle) prior to doing the concrete work for his first high-rise building, the Belvedere Towers, in Baltimore on Falls Road and Northern Parkway.
He was a concrete subcontractor until retirement, and led an ambitious career spreading the word of his pride and joy, Concrete Deck Systems of America. After he retired, he later became co-owner of Towson Sedan services until his early 80s, enjoying hours of driving customers to and fro.
John married the love of his life, preceding him in death, Dorothy (Wilt) Kelbaugh in 1958, and was married for 59 years.
He leaves behind his two daughters Lynda (Kelbaugh) LaPine (Richard) of Superior, Wis., and Lori (Kelbaugh) Marshall of Frankford; four grandchildren: Jana LaPine of Superior, James LaPine (Pilar) of Duluth, Minn., Brittany (Marshall) Baig (Kamal) of Washington, D.C., and Jordan Marshall of Fort Polk, La.; two great-grandchildren: Kinley and Yanik LaPine of Duluth, and another great-grandchild arriving in July; brother Charles Kelbaugh (Juanita) of Bel Air, Md.; and 31 nieces and nephews; and cousin George Kelbaugh, York, Pa.
Preceding in his death are John’s parents; brother Mahlon; sister Dorothy (Kelbaugh) Hanth; and brother Timothy.
Dad said, “He wanted all to know that nothing was more important than to know the Lord! .. and that his grandkids and great-grandkids are wonderful people.”
A graveside service will be held at the Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Road, Timonium, Md., Friday, June 14, at 11:30 a.m., with cars lining up at the swan hut located inside the gate of the cemetery and then proceeding to the gravesite. A lunch will be held after the service at Joppa Gospel Tabernacle Church, 1911 E. Joppa Road, Baltimore, Md.
Professional service entrusted in Bennie Smith Funeral Home, Millsboro.
To offer words of comfort and sign the guest book, visit http://www.benniesmithfuneralhome.com.
