Thank you Grandpa Kelly for welcoming the Guzman family into yours.  You will always be remembered as a wonderful , caring man and we will miss seeing you at family celebrations.

I have always admired and appreciated how each of you boys and your families have honored and doted on Kelly all your lives. The many trips you took him on, but particularly the one in Europe when he got to visit so many of the places he had been during the war and helped to free. Thanks so much for honoring your wonderful father.

We were so honored to know Clarence and his wife and family!! He served in the army with my father-in-law Lee Tschirhart.  I remember first meeting Clarence and Barabara when they would come for visits to see Lee and Catherine in Castroville. After Pa's funeral in 2004 (when Barbara gave us on of her beautiful paintings), we didn't see them for a while, but then we began going to visit them in Houston. When Barbara went to a nursing facility, I played my keyboard and we sang songs together. We continued to visit Clarence after Barbara passed away. My kids and David & I were always so amazed of his great shape and health! He wanted to go places and not just sit and visit! We went to the Battleship Texas where he went up and down  the stairs and even into the turrets,  the San Jacinto Battleground state historic site,  the NASA  Johnson space center, out to eat at a restaurant on the water and of course his favorite, Olive Garden.  We came for his birthday parties starting on his 100th, thanks Clancy's invitation! 
We enjoyed getting to know Clancy & Brenda, Tim and Danny & Connie (when we met at Barabra's visitation), and many other family members. He has a fabulous family. 
We also remember how much he loved his kitty Toot that Paxton brought to him. Clarence always said Toot was a lot of good company! My kids loved him, too. 
I remember Clarence showing us his "war room" and telling us stories, some including Pa.  He remembered so much in great detail.   He served his family and his country well!! He was very well loved and will be greatly missed!! ❤️  We send our deepest sympathy to all the family and friends who loved him so much. We will never forget him. May he rest in peace in the loving arms of Jesus and be with his wife Barbara.
With love, prayers and sympathy,
David Deborah & Matthew Tschirhart & family

My grandfather, Rush Wallace (Lieutenant) and Clarence served in the 6th Armored Division together. Clarence, who we always knew as Kelly, was his driver. My grandfather told many stories about Kelly and him and their misadventures during the war. He only told the funny stories and usually started with “So Kelly and I were lost…”

He told the story where a German officer surrendered to him and Kelly while they were parked on the side of the road reading the map ( they were lost). My grandfather and later Kelly (this is how I knew my grandfather didn’t make it up) told me that they were happy he surrendered peacefully and gave them his Luger, because neither of them were armed and at least now they had a gun. 

Rush passed away in 1990 and always spoke fondly of Kelly. I was very fortunate to connect with Kelly many years later and exchanged emails and photographs with him over the years. Losing him is like losing my grandfather all over again. Thanks to the Kelly family for sharing their father, grandfather and great grandfather with us. 

Shawn Wallace and the Wallace family

Dearest Kelly family and extended family: I am so sorry for your loss. I am sorry for all of our loss. Kelly was truly a special man.  I have so many fond memories of Kelly; one of them is when we were little kids and the Kellys were at our  house and Kelly was playing around with us kids and he would grab our arms and pull us through our legs (kind of like a summersault) and call it the ally-oop.. Of course once you start that with a kid, we kept bugging him for more.  Every year, he would so sweetly send me a darling birthday card.  And the most touching memory is after my dad (my dad and Kelly were best, life long friends) died, Kelly reassured me how much my dad loved me..

He will be missed..He will be missed

Love,

Anna La Perna, daughter of Sam and Louise La Perna

OBITUARY

Clarence Lee Kelly

November 12, 1919 – October 4, 2023

Pat H. Foley & Company

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