In Remembrance: Sherman Ronald Kell Jr. ’71 Died on January 18 2025

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Sherman Ronald Kell, known to his friends and family as Ron, passed away on January 18, 2025, at the age of 75. Born on March 15, 1949, Ron led a life filled with accomplishment, adventure, and dedication.

At the time of his passing, Ron was exploring the Sea of Cortez in Baja California.  He spent most of his adult life as an avid sailor in the San Francisco Bay Area racing his Express 27, a hobby that his son Oliver hopes to carry on with his own children. Ron had a special affection for birds and their habitats, often finding peace and wonder in observing them. His birdwatching book was always close at hand on a boat.

Ron was a proud 1971 graduate of Yale University, where he made a lasting mark on the football field. He played linebacker in the famous tie game with Harvard in 1969 and rose to a second-team All-Ivy selection in 1970. His love for the game, and his humility in the face of its challenges, would stay with him throughout his life.  

After college, he worked at Merrill Lynch before joining the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco where he traded on the floor for decades. His athleticism, intelligence, and love for the outdoors was not abandoned at Yale but passed on to his five children and their many athletic and academic accomplishments.  

Ron was the proud father of five children and the doting grandfather of ten grandchildren, the most recent addition to the family arriving shortly after his passing.  He spent countless hours coaching sports teams, going on camping trips, and in time, helping with his grandchildren—a pastime he came to enjoy with rivaling enthusiasm to football and sailing. Ron instilled a hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit in his children.  They have explored a myriad of successful professions including careers in nursing, real estate, investment management, and technology.

In the last few years of his life, Ron had the opportunity to join some incredible family vacations, including a month in Southeast Asia with his two sons, Fred and Walter, and an unforgettable vacation to the south of France and Paris in 2023. His love and guidance have shaped his family in profound ways, and his presence will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him. He will be sorely missed this summer on another family trip to the eastern coast of Italy.  

Ron is survived by his five children and ten grandchildren: Abigail Sutcliffe (Kell) and children Finley, George, and Charles; Frederick Kell and children Grant and Emily; Oliver Kell and children Jaxson and Brooks; Arthur Kell and children Charlotte, William, and Mark; and Walter Kell.

—Submitted by the family.