**Details on the visiting and funeral arrangements are at the bottom of this email**
Monday, September 20, 2010
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JACK KELLY, LONGTIME CHARTCALLER AT NYRA TRACKS, PASSES AWAY
Kelly, 61 at the time of his passing, most recently served as an Equibase chartcaller at Aqueduct Racetrack,
“Jack Kelly was one of the most beloved individuals at the racetrack,” said NYRA President and CEO
A Philadelphia-native and a graduate of Cal State Hayward, Kelly was introduced to racing at a young age. He called charts on the Fresno Fair and
While working at the NYRA tracks, he made many close friends, and was universally admired.
“Jack was an extremely perseverant individual,” said NYRA Track Announcer Tom Durkin. “He had more than a dozen knee surgeries and to prove a point he went out and ran in six New York City Marathons. He saw heavy combat in
Kelly also played in many of the golf tournaments with trainers, something that Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey remembers fondly.
“It was always a joy to play golf with Jack,” McGaughey said. “He was a racetrack guy through and through, and loved to talk about horses and races. I enjoyed hearing the different perspective that he had as a chartcaller. Jack fought a long, hard battle and I hope that he’s in a better place for it.”
Kelly once estimated that he had worked at 44 different racetracks through the years and had probably called over 50,000 races.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, three sisters and a brother.
Visiting and funeral arrangements are as follows:
Visiting: Leo F. Kearns Funeral Home,
Wednesday 7-9 p.m.
Thursday 2-5 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral: Friday: 11 a.m. Mass at St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church, 75 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Jockey Club Foundation,
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