From his office window, John Krell looked out across Herald Place in downtown Syracuse in 1997 and got upset. The president of Krell Distributing, which he founded in 1972, was a wholesaler and sold heating and air conditioning. He never considered himself someone interested in rehabilitation or preservation. But the sight of the old Syracuse Herald building crumble from his window bothered him. As a boy, during World War II, he grew up on the city’s North Side and used to stop at the Herald building with his grandmother to watch the news of the day be printed. “I guess I’m sort of a latent newspaperman, even though I’ve never had anything to do with newspapering,” he told the Herald-Journal in 1998. “I thought it was fascinating how those presses rolled out all those papers.” Watching the building, built in 1928, deteriorate affected him. “It was a landmark, and it was falling apart. That bothered him,” former Post-Standard columnist wrote in 1998. “This was his street, his downtown neighborhood.” So, he bought it and turned it into offices. The Press Room Pub now calls it home. In the process, he saved a piece of Syracuse history. John Krell, of Fayetteville, died on Tuesday, May 13, following a short illness. He was 90 years old. “The world is a lot sadder today because the best storyteller, our funny guy, died,” his obituary said. “How we will miss the sound of his voice.” Krell was remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and “consummate salesman.” He never hesitated “to offer HVAC advice to whomever he met, even strangers.” He was the son of the late Frank and Mary (Connors) Krell, born on the north side of Syracuse on November 16, 1934. He attended St Anthony of Padua, graduated from Christian Brothers Academy and Syracuse University. Krell was proud of his service in the Navy as a corpsman and “offered his medical advice freely whether requested or not,” his obituary said. He broke into the heating and air conditioning business while working his father at Syracuse Heating Supply. In a 2011 column by Dick Case, he called Krell Distributing the “Ra-Lins of the heating and air conditioning business.” The family operation is still in business. Before buying the Herald building, Krell bought the old Syracuse and Oswego bus garage and the Knights of Columbus building on North Clinton Street. He took considerable pride in saving the newspaper building. “Old buildings have a personality,” he said in 1999, “This building has personality.” “He lived a full life staying active in the business and spending winters on the ocean in Cocoa Beach,” his obituary said. Krell carried business cards while he was retired which showed two old men in swimming trunks. One told the other, “This retirement is overrated. I still think making money is more fun.” He was a member of the Century Club, Onondaga Golf and Country Club, Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse Symphony. Krell “loved anything musical especially Broadway, jazz, big bands, Johnny Mathis, dancing and playing the harmonica.” His favorite holiday was Halloween. Over the years he acquired many hobbies, including stained glass, abstract art, fishing and juggling. He was a big fan of the New York Yankees, the Buffalo Bills, and of all Syracuse University sports. Krell is survived by his wife of 28 years, Eileen Hathaway Krell, his children John Jr (Tracey), Andrew, Matthew (Diana), Kendra Hathaway Fadil (Mark), Brian Hathaway, Julie Hathaway Spilka (Dan). He was the proud grandfather of Justin Davenport, Amanda and Jacob Krell, Ella, Elise and Emilia Fadil and Hailey and Connor Spilka and his sister Kathryn Krell Scott. He was known to them as “funny grandpa.” Calling hours are scheduled for Sunday, May 25, from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be a private service with the family at Assumption Cemetery on a future date. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Samaritan Center, 215 N. State St. Syracuse, NY 13203. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the comfort care nursing staff on the 5th floor at Crouse Hospital, especially Kelsey, Kelly and Kristin. To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.