John Fitzgerald Kimmel

On September 15th, Mr. John Fitzgerald Kimmel, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, transcended Earth for Heaven. A man of strong faith and moral values, he set a superior example for his family and all those who loved him. He told his children he had prayed to one day meet a godly woman. As fate would have it, in 1982, he met the love of his life, Janet Bassett, at church in Mobile, Alabama. The following year was the first of 39 years of a beautiful marriage, during which they raised their two children. They later resided together in Bremen, Alabama on Smith Lake. A self-made man, he began a lifelong career in welding, initially working at National Welding, then later branching off to co-found Kennedy-Kimmel Industrial & Welding Supplies, Inc. His company later partnered with Southern Gas & Supply where he served as President for the last 24 years. He adored his grandchildren, and he made it a top priority for them to know this without abandon, whether it be by spoiling them with gifts on their frequent visits, or with a daily FaceTime chat. His free time was always spent satisfying the needs and whims of his family, and he always did so graciously. Second only to the unparalleled love he had for his family, John was an avid hunter, a sport his son and he shared a passion for and bonded closely over. Their annual trip to Illinois was something they looked forward to and planned together all year long. His last several years were spent traveling across the Southeast to attend hundreds of live concerts, Janet by his side every step of the way. From Boz Scaggs to Luke Combs, he enjoyed each one to the fullest and boasted a home office full of memorabilia to prove it. John is preceded in death by his mother, Remelle Owen, and his sister, Cindy Kay Kimmel. He is survived by his wife, Janet Kimmel; his daughter Jillian (Austin) Willis and her children, Cooper Willis and Caroline Willis; and his son Tyler (Mary Walker) Kimmel. He is also survived by his sister, Linda Gail Brooks and his nieces Missy (Chad) Whitehurst and her daughter Kara (Danny) LaMere; Amy (Marc) Heiter and her children Luke and Logan Heiter; Nikki (Gene) Byron and her children Geno, Brianna, and Rayne Byron; Shannon (Josh) Otto and her children Aidan and Allie Otto; Christa (Seve) Reynoso and her children Andreas and Ronan Reynoso; and his nephew Diego Alarcon and his children Marisa Moraes, Diego Moraes, and Angelina Alarcon. The visitation will be at Serenity Funeral Home, 8691 Old Pascagoula Road, in Theodore, Alabama, at 12:00pm, followed by the funeral service at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Catch-a-Dream Foundation at https://catchadream.org/donate/.

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John Fitzgerald Kimmel

August 8, 1961 - September 15, 2025