Charles Joseph Kelly

Cadillac, Michigan- Charles Joseph Kelly, of Cadillac, passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at his home with his family by his side. He was 64. 

Chuck was born on May 29, 1955 in Mount Clemens to Elwood and Genevieve (Gates) Kelly. On December 4th, 1976, Chuck married Janet Elizabeth Hines of Cadillac.  Chuck and Jan started C&J Shirt Works in 1978, and in December of 1985 they changed the name and opened Kel Graphics, which has been proudly serving the Cadillac area ever since. Chuck loved running Kel Graphics and did so with the same passion he did everything else in his life.

Chuck raised three children with Jan and instilled his love for the outdoors in them.  On weekends, you would find Chuck leading the Kelly family on snowmobile rides, pulling the kids on tubes behind the boat, loading the camper and finding a spot to spend the weekend in the woods, cooking hotdogs over bonfires, or exploring the trails of the Manistee River...one of Chuck’s favorite places. Whether it be at his family’s lake house on Pleasant Lake where he would pull his daughter skiing on early mornings before work, or paddling down the Manistee River, a favorite father son pastime for him and Charlie, he was always excited to be outside.   

Chuck raised his kids with a passion to not only succeed in life but to enjoy life.  He modeled how to cherish your spouse, father your children lovingly, and follow through on what you commit to; he put his all into everything he did….he worked hard, and he played hard.  Everyday was a true adventure, which Jan would attest to, as they would pull out of the yard on snowmobiles, she would have to trust Chuck’s sense of direction (or lack thereof) and just see where the day would bring them. His sense of direction in regard to helping his family and friends however, was without flaw.  He would be there for you in an instant. He could solve any problem, and was the first call for the kids when anything broke...or crashed; if he didn’t know how to fix it, he would figure it out.

Chuck is survived by his wife of 43 years; children, Katy (Dan) Beebe, Danielle (Lucas) Evans and Charlie Kelly.  And he was blessed with six beautiful grandchildren; Quinton, Paige, Tyler Beebe and Isaiah, Ethan, Zachary Evans, and, of course, Felix (the cat) Kelly; siblings, Mary (Pat Sorger), John (Chris) Kelly, Maggie (Brian) Jones and Karen (Buzz) Long; and many other loving family members and friends.  He will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elwood and Genevieve Kelly.

A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2020 beginning at 1 p.m. for visitation with family and friends and followed by a short service at 2:30 p.m. Both will be held at Hitesman-Holdship Funeral Home of Cadillac.

Memorial Contributions may be directed to the American Lung Association. 

Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.hitesman-holdship.com.

The family is being served by Hitesman-Holdship Funeral Home. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles Joseph Kelly, please visit our floral store.