Obituary for William Kelley
William Kelley was born on May 18, 1929 in Bolton, Mississippi to Charles Kelley and Mentha
Martin. He was the youngest boy of seven children. His mother, father, three brothers and three
sisters preceded him in death.
At the age of 21 years old, William made a brave decision to start a new life and pursue better
opportunities in Chicago, IL. He moved to Chicago with his wife, Louise Kelley and their two children,
Mary and Charles Kelley.
William became very active in his neighborhood when he moved to Cermak and Kildare in 1961. He
was a block club member and participated in CAPS neighborhood watch. William was well known in
his neighborhood and most of his neighbors referred to him as Mr. Kelley.
William was dedicated to his family. After the death of his first wife Louise Kelley, William married
Carolyn Kelley in 1984. During their union they birthed a daughter, Fanchon Kelley.
William was also a hard worker. He dedicated thirty-three years at Bell and Howell in their machine
shop and two and a half years to Sargent Welch before retiring in 1990.
Education was important to William. Even though he did not have an opportunity to receive a quality
education, he instilled education to his children and grandchildren. As a result, his children and grand-
children are all college graduates with some post-graduate degrees.
William will always be known for his many dance moves and being the life of the party. There is not a
holiday that goes by where William would miss being on the dance floor. He was an avid traveler. He
spent many summers traveling with his family across the country. When he wasn’t traveling you
would find William prepping his garden or taking fishing trips with his son, Charles Kelley.
William was called to be with the Lord on Friday, November 26, 2021 at 5:22pm at MacNeal Hospi-
tal in Berwyn, IL. His gracious smile, fun loving personality and family-oriented dedication will be
missed.
He leaves to cherish: His wife, Carolyn Kelley; children, Mary, Charles and Fanchon Kelley; grandchil-
dren, Belinda Burgess, Charles Kelley Jr (Amy) and Korey Kelley (Tiffany); great-grandchildren, Taylor
Porter, Antoine Harris Jr., Quentin Carey and Avery Kelley; and many nieces, nephews, in-laws,
friends and neighbors.
Martin. He was the youngest boy of seven children. His mother, father, three brothers and three
sisters preceded him in death.
At the age of 21 years old, William made a brave decision to start a new life and pursue better
opportunities in Chicago, IL. He moved to Chicago with his wife, Louise Kelley and their two children,
Mary and Charles Kelley.
William became very active in his neighborhood when he moved to Cermak and Kildare in 1961. He
was a block club member and participated in CAPS neighborhood watch. William was well known in
his neighborhood and most of his neighbors referred to him as Mr. Kelley.
William was dedicated to his family. After the death of his first wife Louise Kelley, William married
Carolyn Kelley in 1984. During their union they birthed a daughter, Fanchon Kelley.
William was also a hard worker. He dedicated thirty-three years at Bell and Howell in their machine
shop and two and a half years to Sargent Welch before retiring in 1990.
Education was important to William. Even though he did not have an opportunity to receive a quality
education, he instilled education to his children and grandchildren. As a result, his children and grand-
children are all college graduates with some post-graduate degrees.
William will always be known for his many dance moves and being the life of the party. There is not a
holiday that goes by where William would miss being on the dance floor. He was an avid traveler. He
spent many summers traveling with his family across the country. When he wasn’t traveling you
would find William prepping his garden or taking fishing trips with his son, Charles Kelley.
William was called to be with the Lord on Friday, November 26, 2021 at 5:22pm at MacNeal Hospi-
tal in Berwyn, IL. His gracious smile, fun loving personality and family-oriented dedication will be
missed.
He leaves to cherish: His wife, Carolyn Kelley; children, Mary, Charles and Fanchon Kelley; grandchil-
dren, Belinda Burgess, Charles Kelley Jr (Amy) and Korey Kelley (Tiffany); great-grandchildren, Taylor
Porter, Antoine Harris Jr., Quentin Carey and Avery Kelley; and many nieces, nephews, in-laws,
friends and neighbors.