William Patrick Kelley, Sr.
William Patrick Kelley, Sr.
Bill was
born in Shannon City, Iowa on June 1,
1926,
to Harry and Mary Kelley.
He was the
oldest son
with
an older sister Margaret
and younger twin siblings, Bernard and Bernadine.
Bill passed away at the age of 91 on March 21
st
at his residence in Meridian, Idaho.
Bill
graduated from Afton High School in Iowa and immediately entered the U.S. Army
to serve during World War II.
After
basic
training,
he was shipped to Germany
and was critically wounded in combat, (at just 18 years old), on March 24,
1945
while fighting near the Rhine River.
After 18 months of surgeries and
rehabilitation in numerous hospitals, (Germany, England, Missouri, Iowa, and
Spokane), he was finally able to return to Iowa and was given an honorable
discharge in the fall of 1946.
Finally
back home, he was reintroduced to a high school acquaintance, Marilyn June
Warrior of Afton.
She quickly became the
love-of-his-life.
They were married on
July 4,
1949
and would have celebrated
their 67
th
wedding anniversary shortly after Marilyn’s passing on
June 7, 2016.
During
their marriage they had four children; daughter Teresa Bordner (Gary), twin
sons William Kelley, Jr. (Janet) and Robert Kelley (Elaine), and daughter Kathleen
Ohnsman (Richard).
Bill went
to barber school and worked as a barber for several years before starting his
lifelong career with the Veterans Administration Hospital as an
administrator.
This job took Bill and
his family to many states around the country including Iowa, Arizona, Oregon,
California, Virginia and finally landing in Idaho in 1974.
Bill was able to take an early disability
retirement at the young age of 53 and he and Marilyn moved to Newport, Oregon
to enjoy their first few years of retirement on the beautiful coast.
After
retirement Bill became an avid golfer and was very proud of the fact that he
accomplished not just one, but two holes-in-one!
Another passion was playing pinochle and he
was proud that he could beat almost anyone he played.
Another hobby he enjoyed was shooting pool and
he taught all his children to play too.
Bill was up for a game with anyone who’d accept the challenge.
Bill was
preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Mary Kelley, his wife Marilyn, his younger
brother Bernard, and older sister Margaret.
Ironically, Margaret passed away two years to the day (3-21-2016) prior
to Bill’s death and was also laid to rest on Good Friday. Bill is survived by
his children and sister Bernadine Follett of Des Moines, Iowa.
Bill also has 11 grandchildren and 13
great-grandchildren
.
In lieu
of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW),
https://heroes.vfw.org
The
family wishes to extend their gratitude to Grace Assisted Living in Meridian
and Abode Health Care and Hospice for their support in his final weeks.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Patrick Kelley, Sr., please visit our flower store.
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