Glenn Bernard Kelly's Obituary
Glenn passed away at the age of 91 on March 23, 2013. He died from heart failure. Glenn was a 30-year resident of Pinellas Park, Florida. The last 15 months of his life was as a guest at the Barrington assisted living facility in Largo, FL. Services will be held for Glenn Bernard Kelly at the Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel, 5750 49th Street North, St.Petersburg, FL 33709 Phone: 727-527-1196 on Monday, April 1, 2013. Public viewing will start at 5 pm with services immediately following at 6pm. Pastor Frank K. Reynolds will be officiating. Glenn will be laid to rest next to his wife Ruth in Memorial Park Cemetery, Companion Crypt 111B, Patio Z, Phase 4.
He is survived by his two sons, David Christian Kelly (Newbury, OH) and Peter Bernard Kelly (Davis, CA); David's wife, Martha Elinor Harshbarger-Kelly; his grandchildren, Stephen Christopher Kelly and Sarah Elizabeth Kelly; Peter's wife, Sue Anne Sheya; two step grandchildren, Eric William Stoye and Andrew Joseph Stoye (Salt Lake City, UT); and his nephew, John Kenneth Kelly (West Springfield, PA). He was preceded in death by his older brother Vincent Paul Kelly and his wife of 43 years, Ruth Larsen Kelly.
Glenn was born on January 25, 1922, in Grove City, PA. to David Bernard (Bernie) Kelly and Ethel May Kelly (nee Wood). Glenn's father was an auto mechanic, and Glenn learned about machines and tools as he worked in the shop with his father. His maternal grandfather, J.J. Wood, was a photographer who also started a local phone company, so Glenn learned about those subjects as well. He also took an interest in ballistics, learning at an early age how to pack a charge and shoot it from a miniature cannon mounted on a rowboat.
After graduating from high school and starting college, Glenn enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. He was stationed in Fogia, Italy as a bombardier on a B17G with the 15th Air Force. It was a time of many firsts for him: the first time he'd ridden on a train, left the country or sailed across the ocean. After the war he resumed his education in engineering at Grove City College through the GI Bill, graduating in 1948. He was hired by Sylvania to work at a picture tube plant in Seneca Falls, N.Y. where he was a quality control engineer for more than 30 years. He took great pride in his work and his ability to identify and solve manufacturing problems. He also had the great good fortune to meet the factory nurse at the Sylvania plant, Ruth Larsen, who would later become his wife. They were married on June 28, 1953 in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Ruth and her seven brothers and sisters were children of immigrant Danish farmers. Ruth gave birth to their twin sons, David and Peter, in 1954. Glenn and Ruth moved to Pinellas Park, FL when Glenn retired from Sylvania-Philips Electric, and they joined the United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park where they were members for many years. His beloved wife became ill with Parkinson's disease while in FL. She was cared for at home by Glenn with help from his good neighbors, who also helped Glenn in countless ways when he developed his own medical problems and subsequently moved into assisted living. Glenn had a large extended family of many cousins and enjoyed their company when he was growing up. In later years he and Ruth attended the annual summer Kelly family gathering held in Pennsylvania. Glenn took pride in attending this reunion whenever he was able. He held the honorable position of being the eldest Kelly in attendance. His final visit was in July 2012 with his son David and family. During these visits he and Ruth pursued an interest in the Kelly family genealogy. Ruth discovered that Glenn had an ancestor on the Mayflower. John Howland began as an indentured servant, but eventually became a very successful entrepreneur and outlived all the other Mayflower passengers. It was learned that this ancestor fell off the Mayflower en-route to the new world, but was obviously rescued before he drowned.
Glenn was very proud of his family in many ways. One of his proudest memories was of his two boys graduating from college. He was very happy that his son Peter finally married, and so thoroughly enjoyed Peter's wedding in 2008 that he continually spoke of how it was the best wedding he'd ever been to, including his own. He was keen on telling these stories about his life and family. With his granddaughter Sarah's help, some of family stories are preserved on video. This was accomplished by narrating them along with vintage photos. These videos are located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jzFhc6G6AA An internet search for "youtube Grandpa's hats SKDocumentaries" will also locate these stories.
Glenn had many, many more stories to tell.... We will miss hearing them. We will miss this man who was a loving son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, brother-in-law, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and a good friend and mentor to many others.
The family requests no flowers be sent, rather that remembrances be made to Grove City College, Office of Advancement, Grove City, PA 16127, the United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park, 9025 49th, Pinellas Park FL 33782, or the charity of your choice.
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