Joe Miller Mckelvey, Jr.

Joe Miller McKelvey, Jr., age 85 of Lawrenceville, GA passed away December 23, 2017. Joe is a native of Gwinnett County. He attended the Duluth schools. Played basketball four years at Duluth High School. Was second honor graduate and captain of the basketball team in 1948. He was also named to the county and region all star teams in his senior year. Joe attend West Georgia, signed a professional baseball contract with the old Atlanta Cracker team and played minor league baseball at Waycross, GA and Panama City, FL. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1953, with a B.S. Degree in Education. Joe coached twenty one years in high school, three years at Duluth and the last eighteen at Central Gwinnett. He coached teams that have participated in State play offs in Basketball, Football, Baseball and Golf. Boys basketball teams averaged 18.5 wins per season for twenty one years of coaching. He Won the State championship in 1962 and was runner-up in 1969. Three other teams were rated in the season final top ten. While at Central Gwinnett the boys played in finals of the Gwinnett County Tournament on eleven occasions, winning the championship eight times and finishing runnrs-up three times. He served for two years as chairman of the Basketball division of the Georgia High School Coaches Associations. Joe served as President and Vice President of the Gwinnett County Tip off Club. He received a Masters degree in educational administrative from the University of Georgia in 1974, and a six year education specialists degree in administration in 1975. Joe was the principal at Lawrenceville Middle and retired in 1984. He is survived by his children, Margaret McKelvey Gorlin, Roswell, Elizabeth Newman and her husband Wayne, Bishop, GA, Rob McKelvey and his wife Leigh, Brookhaven; grandchildren, Lily Frances Gorlin, Mills Joseph Gorlin, Grayson Miller Newman, Grant Wiley Newman, Griffin Vann Newman, Liz Margaret Newman; uncle, Winford Lindsay, Lawrenceville. A funeral service will be held Friday, December 29, 2017 at 1:00 P.M. at Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel with Dr. Lamar Holley officiating. Burial will follow at White Chapel Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers please make donations in memory of Joe to Wounded Warrior Project P.O. Box 758517 Topeka, KS 66675. The family will receive friends Thursday from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel 1031 Lawrenceville Hwy. Lawrenceville, GA 30046.