John Dale Kell

John was born July 27, 1928, in Helena, MT, adopted by parents, Guy and Mattie (Moutray) Kell and he passed away April 29, 2011, after a lengthy illness. His father homesteaded in Shelby, MT for five years, and moved to Spokane when John was five years old. Later, the family moved to Plain, WA, where they lived until moving to Wenatchee in 1943. John worked at various fruit warehouses and at Keokuk in Rock Island, WA. While working at Keokuk, he met Willard Skoglun, who was a flight instructor and owner of Columbia Skyways. He talked John into learning to fly and he obtained his private pilot license on July 21, 1962. He then became a flight instructor for Columbia Skyways on December 17, 1964, and started working at Columbia Skyways on June 6, 1966. John met his wife, Karen, when she was a student pilot; they married August 26, 1967. They have two sons, Brian and Keith. John became a Pilot Examiner in 1975, and worked for Columbia Skyways until Willard sold out in September, 1984. He then worked for Richardson Aviation, in Yakima, flying a Cessna 206 from Wenatchee to Seattle, hauling cargo. In June, 1990, the flight from Wenatchee to Seattle stopped and he started his own business as a pilot examiner in Seattle and Wenatchee. In July, 1996, the FFA opened an office in Spokane, which stopped John from doing pilot examinations in Seattle. He finally went to work for Wings of Wenatchee in July, 1996. He flew as a charter pilot and flight instructor until his medical was not renewed March 1, 2006. He had 28,882 hours of total flight time, which included 9,588 hours as a flight instructor. John had also been a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the Wenatchee Chapter of the Washington Pilots' Association and the Apple Valley Lion's Club. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Karen, of the home; two sons, Brian and Keith, of the home; his sister, Ina Jane Myers of Homer, AK; two nephews, Clint (Judy) Myers of Wisconsin and Curt Myers of Homer, AK; one niece, Dori (Jim) Wilson of Anchorage, AK; his mother-in-law, Glendora Nelson (Harvey) Jolly of East Wenatchee, WA; uncle John Bane of East Wenatchee; and special friends, Bill Markey, Jim Watson, Alan (Joan) Hunter, Leon Dial, Neil Peterson, John Melton and Jerry Watson. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother-in-law, Ron Nelson; several aunts, uncles and cousins; and numerous aviation friends. Special thanks to all the doctors and nurses, both at Central Washington Hospital and Wenatchee Valley Clinic/Wenatchee Family Practice for their help, and also to Central Washington Hospital Hospice for their invaluable help and assistance during this time. A Celebration of John's Life will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at the Wenatchee Jet Center hangar, located at Pangborn Field. A Potluck BBQ will follow. All friends and family are welcome to attend. Please bring your favorite side dish and memories to share. Meat, condiments and cake will be furnished. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Upper Valley Aviation Scholarship Fund, c/o Jim Robertson, P.O. Box 264, Cashmere, WA 98815.

John Dale Kell

July 27, 1928 - April 29, 2011