Roger W. Kelly
May 10, 1940 ~ August 11, 2021
Roger W. Kelly, 81, of Indianapolis, passed away at Greenwood Meadows on August 11, 2021. Roger was born on May 10, 1940 in Shumway, Illinois to the late Rolla and Edna (Kirchhofer) Kelly.
Roger graduated in the class of 1958 from Beecher City High School. In 1963 he moved to Indianapolis with his wife at the time, Barbara Kelly while working for the Illinois Central Railroad. He then went on to work for Chrysler for a number of years before working as a machinist at Allison Transmission. Roger retired from Allison Transmission after 25 years of service.
A believer in God’s grace and faith, Roger was a dedicated member of Bethany Lutheran Church where he was active in many activities and volunteering. If he wasn’t at church or working, Roger was walking his favorite dog, Bart or playing euchre with friends. Roger was an avid supporter of the Indiana University basketball team and Cincinnati Reds. He had many fond memories of casting a line in Port Orange, Florida with his late son, Kent; their many fishing trips were treasured by Roger. He also relished in taking a ride on his Harley or taking his 1969 Camaro pace car to local car shows. Roger will be greatly missed by all of his loved ones.
Along with his parents, Roger was preceded in death by his son, Kent Kelly and his brother, Terry Kelly.
Survivors include his daughter, Kristie (Thomas) Clark; his brother, Rayman Kelly; the mother of his children and former spouse, Barbara (Francis) Kelly; his grandchildren, Austin (Stephanie) Clark, Brandon Clark, and Christopher Holt; very special friend, Ruth Ann Ross; niece and nephew; Ron (Lora) Kelly and Dee (Mark) Newton; and a host of friends and extended family members.
Roger’s Visitation will be on Saturday, August 21, 2021 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in Bethany Lutheran Church, 4702 South East Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46227. The funeral service will begin in the church at the conclusion of visitation at 11:00 AM. Roger will be laid to rest on Monday, August 23, 2021 in Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery in Shumway, Illinois next to his brother and parents. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bethany Lutheran Church or to a charity of your choice; envelopes will be provided during the visitation. Final care and funeral arrangements are entrusted to the O’Riley Funeral Home, Indianapolis, Indiana. Please visit www.ORileyFuneralHome.com to leave an online condolence for Roger’s family.
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Thanksgiving at the Power Plant in 2008
Kristie and family, please know you are all in my prayers. With deepest sympathy,
Lit a candle in memory of Roger W. Kelly
Kristie, Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I pray you feel God’s presence as He wraps you in His comforting embrace. Monica Tender
My brother, Gary and I had such fun at Barb and Roger’s playing with Kent and Kristie while the adults played cards. He was so kind and fun.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. I always enjoyed visiting with Roger when he came back to the home place in Shumway, Illinois. He told many interesting stories of his youth. I’m sure there were many more.
Roger played euchre at our Sacred Heart card club and Saint Roch card club , was liked by all, and with a sense of humor, just a all round good guy. Roger will always be remembered by all of us and missed. GOD’s blessings to him and GOD’s peace to all of Rogers family and friends * Tom Hasse
Such a lovely obituary. You have all been in my thoughts. Love, Dee
Thank you, Kristie, for letting us know about your losing your dear father! We, too, have always appreciated him and all of your family. One of my favorite memories is from when I was quite young. My parents, Ervin (Kirch) and Ruth, would occasionally take my brother Mark, my sister Pam, and me to Shumway on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to visit the Kirchhofer /Kelly clan! What fun! Ray and your father were older than the rest of us, and we were in true awe of them! They had and rode horses, they drove the family tractor, and they were very kind to the rest of us!! They often led me around on one of their horses!! Such kindness!! Another new experience was that they had an outdoor toilet!! That was an amazing adventure!. The only negative time was when I dropped one of my new Easter shoes down into the outdoor toilet!! I had to help clean it when we got home that evening. Gentle love abounded in that whole extended Kirchhofer/Kelly family, and it was a blessing to be with any of them. Your father Roger was a prime example of that, through all the years all of us were together. David recalls having good conversations with him too! Thank you for sharing him with us!! Sorry we cannot come to his funeral. We’ll be praying for you all, with thanksgiving and joy! Much love and big hugs, David and Jeanne Rae (Kirchhofer) Wommack PS I’ve really enjoyed thinking back about all of our gatherings. May God bless all of you.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Kristie and family. Our family always looked forward to seeing Roger and your family at the family reunions. Uncle Norman eagerly anticipated getting a call from his brother-in-law Rolla that Roger was coming home for the weekend, because that meant several fun games of croquet and/or rook would soon follow. Rook games would go late into the night and sometime during the evening a debate about who would win the next Indiana – Illinois basketball game was sure to come up. Roger always tried to visit with Aunt Naomi during his trips also. Wishing you God’s peace. Norman Naomi & Family
Roger was my neighbor on Rosedale Drive since the time I moved in. We always kept an eye on each other’s place and always shared kind words and conversation for the 7 years we were acquainted. He will be missed. May he rest in peace in the Lord’s loving embrace.