Patrick White Kelly

He was born on January 4th, 1936 in Bainbridge, Georgia, the only child of Gafford Augustus Kelly and Agnes Paulette White. He moved to Chattanooga as a young man, attending Anna B. Lacey School and Central High School. He then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology as an Army ROTC cadet, where he earned a Master of Engineering degree.

After completing officer training at Fort Belvoir, where he made the highest regimental rifle score in 1958, he earned his Airborne Wings at Fort Benning, GA. He then served as company commander of the 518th Combat Engineers, Sykes Regulars, 1st Battle Group, 20th Infantry, stationed in the Panama Canal Zone.

After completing his military service, he became a systems salesman at IBM in Columbia, South Carolina and returned to Chattanooga in 1963. He went to work for his father-in-law at Ayers Motor Company, and became the Dealer Principal in 1967, going on to a long and accomplished career in the automobile business. He built a new facility on Riverfront Parking and opened Kelly Cadillac in 1971, after which other franchises were added over the years, including SAAB in 1979, Subaru in 1990, and Hummer in 2001.

He served on many industry and philanthropic boards, including the Cadillac National Dealer Council, the Chattanooga Housing Authority, and the Downtown Chattanooga YMCA. He was a longstanding member of the Downtown Rotary Club, the Mountain City Club, and the Lander One Shot Past Shooter’s Club. He loved hunting and travelling all over the world with dear friends, a good book, and, perhaps above all, a great joke.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 26 years, Kathleen (Lytle) Kelly; his daughter, Susan Lynley Welsh (Jolyon); his son, Timothy Ayers Kelly (Ginny); his stepdaughter, Nicole Pincelli; stepson, Brant Pincelli; and four grandchildren: John Livingston Ayers Kelly, William Cannon Kelly, Isabel Eloïse Welsh, and Edward Christian Augustus Welsh.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Hearth Hospice for their support and compassion and to especially thank the following caregivers who gave so lovingly in his final years: Anita Sims, Yvonne Schuman, and Amber Willis.

A private graveside service for family will be held at Hamilton Memorial Gardens on Friday, February 21, and a celebration of his life for family, friends, and all who wish to pay respects will be held at the Mountain City Club on the same day from 4 to 7pm .

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Patrick White Kelly Fund at the National Parkinson Foundation (www.parkinson.org).

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com