This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Obituaries

OBITUARY: Martin "Marty" Joseph Kelly

Martin "Marty" Joseph Kelly, 79, passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Windmill Manor in Coralville, Iowa. 

Born July 7, 1935 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Marty was the only child of Martin and Genevieve Kelly. He attended St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey and graduated from Villanova University in 1957. After college, Marty worked for Thomas & Betts Corporation in Elizabeth where he met and eventually married the "love of his life", Maryann (Pfeifauf) Kelly -- the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 13th.

Marty and Maryann raised four children, moving from New Jersey to Iowa City in 1973. Marty was the Plant Manager for Thomas & Betts in Iowa City until 1989, after which became President of Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) and remained in that position until his retirement in 2000.

Marty was very active in the Iowa City and Coralville communities. He was a longtime member of Iowa City and Coralville Rotary Clubs, volunteered on several committees at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, served on the Iowa State Bank Board of Directors, the Mercy Hospital Board of Directors, and served as Chair of the Regina School Board.

Faith and family were always the most important to Marty, but his other passion was his film collection. For nearly 60 years he collected memorabilia from classic westerns, mysteries and serials. Marty shared his hobby as a guest curator for the Hoover Library's "Hollywood Cowboys" exhibit and as a featured presenter for the Humanities Iowa Speaker's Bureau. For several years right up until his passing, a collection of friends known as "The Posse" joined Marty every Thursday for the screening of classic western films.

Marty is survived by his wife, Maryann, of Coralville, his four children and ten grandchildren: Kristine (Jeff) Caldwell of Madison, Wisconsin with children Alexandra and James; Martin (Julie) Kelly of Lakeville, Minnesota with children Marty, Caroline, Thomas, Nathan and Claire; James (Anne) Kelly of Coralville with children Jack and Rachel; and Ryan (Vanessa) Kelly of Phoenix, Arizona with child Cullen.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, July 21st at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Coralville. The family will greet friends from 9:30 a.m. until service time. A gathering with refreshments will immediately follow Mass in the church social hall. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Martin Kelly Memorial Fund.

The Kelly Family wishes to extend their deepest appreciation to the staff of Windmill Manor for the care, kindness and friendship given during Marty's 11-month stay.

http://lensingfuneral.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=140081#/obituaryInfo

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Iowa City