Obituary of Kenneth Gerard Kelly

Kenneth Gerard Kelly passed away April 3, 2024.  Ken is survived by his wife of 46 years, Kerry Ann (Kerber) Kelly.  He is preceded in death by his children, Meghan Ann Kelly and Frederick George Kelly III, and his parents, Margaret “Peggy” and Frederick George Kelly II. Ken has 3 siblings, Raymond (Kelly) Kelly, Michael (Patti) Kelly and Mary Beth Seamands.

Ken was born November 6, 1955 in Bridgeport, CT.  When Ken was 15 years old, the family moved from Connecticut to Arizona.  Living on the far east side of Tucson, Ken loved the space and freedom to work on his cars, ride his horse Ebony, and explore the desert.  But Ken’s greatest love was when he met the neighbor across the street, Kerry.  They fell in love when Ken was only 19 and married shortly after. 

Ken was extremely ambitious and bought his first house at 19.  He was incredibly intelligent and mechanically inclined.  He rose through the ranks at his job as an electrician and became a foreman at only 21.  In 1979, their daughter Meghan was born and Freddy followed shortly after in 1982.    Ken wanted more for the small family and soon after, he decided to branch out on his own and started Kelly Electric the year of Freddy’s birth.

Through it all, Kerry was by his side, for many years working in the office while Ken was in the field.  Ken was partners with his brothers at different times through the course of the business, and many other family members worked at Kelly Electric at one point or another. 

Ken liked to work hard and play hard.  Ken, Kerry and the kids enjoyed many activities with their family and friends. There was skiing in Pinetop, 3 wheelers in the Yuma sand dunes and camping and boating at Roosevelt Lake.  They started another business and had over 40 horses at Oasis Arabians;  then came the motorcycles.  Ken loved his Harley Davidson bikes. Whether it was short road trips with Kerry or long visits to South Dakota for the Sturgis Rally, Ken loved the open road.  He could often be found in the garage tinkering on his bike.

Ken and Kerry’s precious daughter Meghan was diagnosed with leukemia at 8 years of age.  The young family fought with all their might against the disease, taking leave from the business so Meghan could have a bone marrow transplant in Seattle.  Sadly, Meghan lost her fight in 1990 at only 10 years old.  The loss of their daughter was devastating.  Then, 24 years later, they lost their son, Freddy.  The tragedy Ken and Kerry endured was unfathomable.  Yet they both maintained their belief in God and longed for the day they would see their children again.

In recent years, Ken’s health had declined.  Although he wasn’t the spry, active man of his youth, he wanted to enjoy life and started expanding his social circle.  He had lifelong friends and made new ones who brought so much joy to his world.

Ken will forever be known for his quick wit, his sharp mind and his generosity.  Ken would give without hesitation and was always a helping hand for friends and family in need.  Ken leaves a legacy of hard work, success, trial and tribulations, generosity to a fault and an undying love of his beautiful wife and lifelong partner, Kerry.

Donations may be made in the name of Kenneth Kelly to make a wish of Southern Arizona, or

leukemia Society of southern Arizona