Frederick 'Fred' Kelly

Frederick Fred Kelly, 79, of Danville, passed away at 11:26am on Friday, October 16, 2009 at Provena USMC in Danville. Fred was born on December 24, 1929, in Lancaster, IN, the son of C.R. and Lucy (Hill) Kelly. Fred and his parents later moved to Austin, IN, where he attended school and later worked for Morgan Packing Company. In his late teens, Fred chose to seek out the city life and moved to Chicago, IL, where he worked for the railroad as a Gandy Dancer. Fred later returned to his home town area and worked various jobs before obtaining a position in the printing department of Marion Kay in Brownstown, IN, where he met the love of his life, Colleen Norman. They married on April 26, 1952, in Sellersburg, IN. She preceded him in death on July 18, 1998. Those left to cherish his memories include his son, Tom (wife Rhoda) Kelly of Danville, daughters, Diane (husband Terry) Stegemeyer of powder springs, GA, and Rita (Husband Shawn) Edwards of Danville. His grandchildren, Sabrina (Jason) of Danville, Shannon (Carlo) of Italy, Sheena (Trey) of Wakefield, VA, Kelly and Bryan of Danville, and four great grandchildren, Hannah, Jack, Alexia, and Cailin. His parents, wife Colleen, and his three brothers, Leo, Tom, and A.H. Kelly precede Fred in death. Fred was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean Conflict and served in Fort Lee, VA, from May 1952, until May 1954. Upon his discharge, Fred returned to his former job at Marion Kay. Fred and Colleen later chose Danville, IL, as their home in 1956. Fred worked for R and S Printing Company in Danville for 23 years. During the latter part of which he moonlighted out of his garage. Fred and Colleen started their printing business in 1969. Bill Britt of Britt Airlines and the Printing busisness were both small operations at that time, and asked that Fred print 100 boarding passes for him. The last order filled for Bill Britt, 50,000 boarding passes before he sold the airline to People Express in 1985. In September of 1979, Fred and Colleen purchased what was an apartment building at the time and converted it into a shop located at 2316 Cannon Street in Danville. At that time, Fred and Colleen ran the shop entirely, until 1981, at which time they hired one pressman (who is still employed with the company today). Currently, the business employes eight full time and three part time employees. Through the years, Fred has employed many family members. Currently, his son Tom Kelly, Office Manager, Freds son-in-law, Shawn Edwards, pressman, and Freds granddaughter, Sabrina Moulton, bookkeeper, and Freds personal secretary. Althought not all of our employees are family, we are a close group and enjoy working together. Before long, the Cannon Street building was a bit cramped and on May 23, 1194, property was purchased at 205 Oregon Street and ground was broke on August 7, 1994. A Building measuring 5378 square feet now houses Kelly Printing Company, Inc., which is still in operation today. Fred could always be seen at the business, including the day he died. Fred enjoyed watching NASCAR Racing with his son-in-law and friend, Shawn. He also enjoyed watching the Chicago Cubs and was an avid fan of the Fighting Illini. Fred like sitting on his porch and visiting with his neighbors, Glen, John, and Josh. He always looked forward to his visits with his friend Jim at the Printing Shop. Fred Kelly was known for his tall tales and wild stories, thus, the reason for the saying on the tombstone. A Celebration of the Life of Fred Kelly will begin at 1:00pm on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center located at 3940 N. Vermilion St. in Danville with Rev. Father, Ted Pracz officiating. Burial to follow at Sunset Memorial Park with Military Honors. Visitation will be from 2:00-8:30pm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at the funeral home. E-mail condolences may be made to the family at sunsetfuneralhome.com