Obituary of Eugene M. Kellam

MEDUSA – Eugene M. Kellam, 90, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2014 at Manchester Medical Center in Manchester, Tennessee, after a brief illness. Born in Catskill on January 8, 1924, he was son of the late William and Mae Lounsbury Kellam. Mr. Kellam was raised in Oak Hill, where he got his first paper route at age 8, and worked on his grandfather’s farm during the summer, all to help his mother, who was widowed when Eugene was 4 years old. Mr. Kellam was a graduate of Greenville Central School. He and his late wife, Dorothy Kelley Kellam, were married on April 6, 1946. Mr. Kellam was instrumental in starting the Medusa Volunteer Fire Company. They moved to Sullivan County, where he managed the Mills Farm in Highland Lake. They moved back to Medusa in 1956 to help his stepfather on his farm. Mr. Kellam rejoined the fire company in 1957 and was a life member. In 1959 he accepted a job with the Albany County Soil & Water Conservation District and in 1963 became district manager. He planted more than 1 million trees in Albany County. Mr. Kellam retired in 1984. He went on the board of the district in 1993, and served as Chairman from 1995 until 2002. Mr. Kellam served as a Town Justice in Rensselaerville, and was a member of the town board from 1961 until 1975. He also served on the board of the Helderberg Medical Association. Mr. Kellam and his wife took in 36 foster children through the years, many with special needs. He was truly an outdoorsman, and a family man who was always there to help. Mr. Kellam wintered in Tennessee for four years, until moving there last year. He is survived by his daughter, Ruth (Tom) Snyder; three grandchildren, Lisa Snyder, Paul Snyder, and Tommy (Michelle) Snyder; three great-grandchildren, Bronson Hulbert, Morgan and Derrick Snyder; his caretaker and friend, Nancy Kime; his best pal, “Buddy”; many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by his sister, Helen Kellam Hulbert. Cremation has been performed privately. Services will be held later this summer, with calling hours planned for Saturday, July 26 from 9 until 11 a.m. at A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home in Greenville. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. that day, followed by burial of his ashes in Medusa Cemetery. Memorial donations to the Medusa Volunteer Fire Company, 28 CR 351, Medusa, NY 12120, or the Rensselaerville Volunteer Ambulance, PO Box 182, Rensselaerville, NY 12147 will be appreciated. Write a condolence message at ajcunninghamfh.com.