John Herbert Kilby Jr., 81, of Colora, Maryland, passed away at home on January 3, 2022. Mr. Kilby was born to John Herbert Kilby Sr., and Edith Pennington Kilby, on May 25, 1940, in West Grove, Pennsylvania. He was a 1958 graduate of Bel Air High School, attended Duke University, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1963, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. He served in the Maryland Army National Guard from 1963 to 1969. For decades, Mr. Kilby worked as an Agronomy Sales Manager for Southern States Cooperative in Rising Sun. He farmed from the Eastern Shore to Frederick and into southeastern Pennsylvania for most of his adult life, employing his children and local youth through Kilby’s Hay & Straw. In the latter part of his career, Mr. Kilby was a real estate salesperson for Century 21 and RE/MAX Chesapeake in North East. When he wasn’t working, Mr. Kilby was an avid reader, writer, and family genealogist. He loved his family unconditionally.

Mr. Kilby was predeceased by his parents, John and Edith Kilby, and is survived by: wife of 56 years, Nancy Kilby; siblings Robert Kilby, Emily Kilby, William Kilby (wife Phyllis), Richard Kilby (wife Gloria), and Edith Ann Bacon (husband Mel); children Sally Kilby (fiancé Chad Dulin), John R. Kilby (wife Mollie), Susan Dougherty (husband Tim), Scott Kilby (wife Carrie), and Beth King (husband Mark); ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The family will hold a celebration of life for Mr. Kilby on Saturday, January 8, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Port Deposit VFW, 520 Susquehanna Road, Port Deposit, Maryland. All family and friends are welcome.