April 27, 1955-May 7, 2025
It is with the heaviest heart and greatest sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Dennis Kelly. My unconditional best friend in the world was 70 years old. He is now with his sister Kathleen and brother Kevin. He leaves behind his sisters, Trish and Sheila, his four children, Laura Ann, Michael, Rosie, myself Charlie, and his four year old grandson Caden. He loved being a father and also cherished being a grandfather to Caden. Caden loved Grampa just as much right back.
My dad, or Paps or Papa D or Big D, had the biggest heart that matched his stature. In fact, complications with an enlarged heart resulted in his passing. Dennis was the kind of person to walk into a room of strangers and leave with just as many new friends. Loving, compassionate, and a fiercely kind man.
He stayed involved in the kids’ lives and throughout our schooling with the mother of his children, Diane. From games to practices to plays to concerts and everything in between, my dad always made sure to give us every opportunity to succeed, and put his heart into anything as much as we did (and sometimes more than us). He never wavered in his support for us, and the schools we attended, from Christa McAuliffe Elementary and on.
Born in Elgin and raised in Barrington, Illinois, Dennis was the youngest of five kids. He began working on the Chicago stock exchange and eventually moved on to George K. Baum in Kansas City. After our family fell into tough times later on, my father never stopped striving and grinding to support himself and his family. He was the hardest working man I knew to ensure his four kids got a fair shot at life and the opportunity to pursue our dreams.
Knowing him and being his son is the honor of a lifetime, and I know he would want some kind of good to come out of this. So to those reading this I ask of you two things:
1. Please reach out to your loved ones and let them know what they mean to you. The last thing I said to Paps was that I loved him, and I cannot tell you what that means to me now.
2. Do something kind for someone. Today, tomorrow, whenever. Bring good into this world. Hold a door open, volunteer, pick that trash up off the ground, donate blood, buy someone a drink or even just giving a friendly hello to a stranger could change their world. Do it for Dennis.
I love you Paps. This next one is for you. Sláinte”
Obituary published by Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri.
