Obituary of Franklin David Kellett

Franklin Kellett, 90, of the Whiton Community of DeKalb County died Wednesday, October 18 at Marshall Medical Medical Center South in Boaz. He was preceded in death by Dorothy Kellett, his beloved wife of 52 years, and is survived by his sons Morgan Kellett and Ed Kellett (Catie), his grandchildren David Kellett and Caitlin Clifton, and three great-grandchildren. Kellett was a career educator who served as Principal of Fyffe High School before being elected Superintendent of Education for DeKalb County schools in 1968. He remains to date the only Superintendent in DeKalb County history to have been elected and served three terms of office. He also taught junior high math at Geraldine High School for several years. He always remembered his former students and enjoyed meeting and talking with them, and took pride in their successes. He greatly enjoyed electoral politics and being involved the political process, whether campaigning for office himself, giving much-sought advice to other political candidates, or just discussing local and national politics. He had a deep understanding of the roads, people and history of DeKalb County which was hard-earned over the course of six county-wide political campaigns. Kellett served for many, many years as a beat committeeman and pollworker for Whiton until his age and health no longer permitted it. He was a proud, lifelong member of the Democratic Party and served on its state executive committee and in several other capacities throughout his long political career. He was a proud and unapologetic “Yellow-Dog Democrat,” and his faith in the Democratic Party never wavered a moment, even after it fell out of electoral favor in his own state and county. He enjoyed a special friendship with Carolyn Crawford during the last years of his life, and her many acts of kindness and her steadfast companionship were ongoing blessings which he often acknowledged. There will be a graveside service at Whiton Cemetery on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 10am, with burial to follow immediately.