Douglas Raymond Kelly went to be with the Lord on January 16, 2024 at home at the age of 90 surrounded by his family. He was born on April 1, 1933 in Philadelphia, PA and lived most of his life in Wadsworth, OH before retiring to The Villages, FL.
Doug graduated from Battle Creek High School in Michigan and attended the Citadel in South Carolina before entering the service in April of 1953. In college, Doug earned the nickname “Killer Kelly” taking third place in the Southern Conference as a wrestler in the 123 pound weight class.
His father, Colonel John Kelly, left Korea two days prior to Doug’s arrival in the armed services as a Public Information Specialist. In Korea, Doug received several certificates of achievement for meritorious service. With no previous training in the public information field, he did not hesitate to work long hours, traveling over hazardous roads to accomplish his missions. During his tenure, he produced a record number of hometown releases, far exceeding any like period in the history of X Corps. He was honorably discharged from the Army in March of 1961. Following his service, Doug had an accomplished career as a traveling salesman in the paper industry and in retirement was a successful realtor achieving multi-million dollar status.
Doug is survived by Carol, his loving wife of 8 years and his five children, John Kelly of Kalamazoo MI; Cynthia (Joe) Shurilla of Rittman, OH; Thomas Kelly of Chippewa Lake, OH; Polly (David) Wood of Stow, OH; and Suzanne (Mark) Peeples of Wooster, OH. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, John & Eleanor Kelly, and two siblings, Rodney Kelly and Geraldine Efremoff.
Doug was an avid pool player, joining the Shark’s Club in Fall of 2017 for achieving a 9 Ball on the Break. Doug enjoyed golfing and his daily Manhattan at 5:00 PM. He will eternally be remembered as a loving husband and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
A military funeral with honors will take place later this spring at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville, OH followed by a family gathering.
I will never forget how you took me under your wing and welcomed me in to your family.
Until we meet again, you will be missed - Davy