Kelly Michael Marsh

Kelly was born August 12, 1971, in Corning, New York, to Frances (Miller) Marsh and Kenneth “Mike” Marsh. He grew up in Portville, New York, alongside his younger brother, Ken, surrounded by family, friends and the hometown he loved dearly. Kelly was a gifted student who also worked in his dad’s car wash and was a DJ for high school and college for events in the area.

After graduating from SUNY Fredonia in 1993 with a bachelor of science in Communication and Audio Production, he received a master’s degree in Communication from Indiana State University in 1996.

After moving to Liberty, Missouri, in 1997 to join the faculty of William Jewell College, he met Lindsay Johnson. The two were married in 2000 and welcomed their daughter, Rachel, to their family in 2002.

Kelly loved traveling with family and friends around the globe. Annual father-daughter trips, Christmas, beach and Disney family trips all brought wonderful adventures and memories. Some of their favorite family trips included Croatia, the Maldives and the many islands of Hawaii. Through work and vacation, he traveled to 45 states and 18 countries, truly enjoying his United and Marriott elite statuses and sharing views from his hotel rooms. He often shared his personal travel mantra and wise advice: “No one ever ruined a vacation by getting to the airport early.” He was always the first person on the plane and thoroughly enjoyed his airport club memberships.

For work, Kelly used his technology skills to become a gifted and sought-after leader in IT healthcare management and training. He founded KLM Knowledge Solutions and, as managing partner, led large-scale, multi-year programs implementing and supporting electronic medical records systems for private and public hospitals nationwide.

When Kelly wasn’t working or traveling, he loved following trends in broadcasting and was an active podcaster. He was also an avid barbecue cook, including competing in KCBS barbecue competitions with his team, The Meat Loafers. He never missed a chance to root for the Buffalo Bills, Houston Astros and Alabama Crimson Tide, where Rachel attends.

Kelly’s favorite time of year was the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. After moving to Houston in 2005, Kelly embraced his adopted city with the love of a native son. He served for 15 years on the HLRS Directions & Assistance Committee Team 10. Kelly took immense joy in not only welcoming guests to the HLRS but also personally ensuring dozens of his out-of-town friends had the best Houston Rodeo experience possible, from finding great tickets to seats in the Grand Entry. He truly had the heart of a volunteer as also demonstrated after Hurricane Harvey had damaged his own home, he still spent countless hours helping others flooded homes around the community.

Kelly was known for his big heart for others, his love of a good, deep conversation and a hearty laugh. Above all, he always held Lindsay and Rachel as the center of his world.

Kelly was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Michael "Mike" Marsh, and is survived by his wife of 23 years, Lindsay and daughter, Rachel Marsh of Houston; mother, Frances of Spring; brother, Ken Marsh of Bear, Delaware; in-laws, Mary and Gary Johnson of Houston; sister-in-law Shannon Cranson and family of Houston; as well as aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family will hold a private inurnment. A celebration of life service will be on Monday, November 20, 2023, 11:00 am, in the Hankammer Chapel at Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Drive in Houston. The family requests donations in Kelly’s memory be made to RodeoHouston’s Educational Fund, a charity dedicated to giving scholarships and grants to students in Houston, at

https://secure.rodeohouston.com/Donate/?code=MemorialFund