Remembering Jake Kelly: Lifelong Friend Shares Memories of Waukesha Teacher

Jake Kelly and Adam Behnke met in the 1980s while attending first grade at General Mitchell Elementary School in Cudahy. Throughout the years, they played Little League together and went to the same high school.

They both worked at a local YMCA before they chose different careers – Behnke would work at the Brookfield Police Department and Kelly would find himself as a teacher in the Waukesha School District.

Kelly coached youth sports at the YMCA for about a decade, Behnke said, and discovered his calling.

“That is where he really fell in love working with the kids,” Behnke said.

Many people have shared with Waukesha Patch what Despite being with the Waukesha School District for a short time and an even shorter time as a seventh-grade teacher at , it’s clear Kelly was

Kelly, 30, died while running Monday. He left behind his wife, Jessica, and a group of students, all who will miss him dearly.

Behnke wasn’t surprised to learn that his lifelong friend had quickly made an impact on his seventh-grade students only a few months at a new school. Kelly had a knack for finding even the “oddball” child who didn’t fit in and changing that child’s perspective, Behnke said.

“That kid left the class or the practice feeling like part of the team,” Behnke said. “He really worked to help the kids find value.”

Kelly wasn’t new to teaching, though, when he started with the Waukesha School District. He worked at Atlas Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee. It was there that he met Jessica.

Behnke remembered one time coming to Atlas for a career day and finding his friend high-fiving all of the students. That’s just who he was.

“We will all remember him as friends,” Behnke said about Kelly. “(For the community), it is definitely going to be how he reached out to every student individually.”

Besides loving Jessica, his students and his friends, Kelly had a special spot in his spot for the Milwaukee Brewers. Kelly, like many others, embraced the Beast Mode during the most recent playoff run. But he wasn’t jumping on the bandwagon.

“He was a true fan,” Behnke said. “… He would be able to name even the crummiest catcher ever.”

Kelly was also a huge outdoors guy. Behnke said Kelly could be watching a Green Bay Packers game and naming the bird that was outside the window.

While Kelly’s death was a shock to the community, his heart complications were known among his friends. Kelly was born with heart issues and had open heart surgery as an infant, according to Behnke. He again had surgery as a sophomore in high school and his most recent surgery was in August.

Kelly was recovering quickly from his recent surgery and was taking pride in his health, Behnke said, which explains why he was out running last Monday.

“He never took the 'Why me?' attitude or anything like that,” Behnke said. “He was very grateful. I guess we could be saying ‘Why 16 years old?' instead of 'Why 30?’”

Service Information

The visitation is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (TODAY) at Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home - Bay View Chapel, 3275 South Howell Ave., Milwaukee. The funeral at 11 a.m. Monday at the same location following a 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. visitation.

A full obituary is located at Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home’s website.