Joe you were a gift from God to be on my sober journey, thank you.  You are now a guardian angel for all who are sober and those who loved you.  I loved being your friend.

Rose

Joe I am 18 years sober, thank you for being on my journey.  I miss you even after all this time.

Love Rose

Hey Joe

I have missed you since the day we went our separate ways back in 2009.  We had the best laying down, looking up at the ceiling talks, we could talk about any and everything.  Thank you for being on my life journey.  I cherish our friendship, keep a watch over me.

Rose
Your friend for ever

I have fond memories of Joe from the time we were together in 2007.  I remember sharing family times with his kids and grandson Austin.  Joe, something made me think of you, and your obituary appeared to my dismay.  My most loving condolences to your family and hugs to all.  December 5th is my birthday, and your memorial was on that day, thank you for being a friend.

Joe was one of the outstanding teachers of the twelve step programs. He walked the talk and was a true example of recovery. He and Susan took me with them to the 24 hour club. He made me feel included and supported. Thanks Joe for showing me how to walk the steps. You will be missed. ❤️❤️❤️

I've often heard it said that it's not people's deeds that we remember when they pass but the way they make you feel. 

When I first met Joe (through Pat Murray), I was struck by his gentleness.  He was full of fun but always kind and most definitely always approachable.  
I loved his love for everything Irish.  The colour is not called Kelly green for nothing.   We met up in Marco and Navan and Trim (which he loved). 💚  We had so many happy conversations because his glass was always half full. 

His passion was his family.  His pride in his children was a joy to behold. His face lit up when he talked about them and of course, his grandsons.  I had the privilege to meet Susan on their last visit to Ireland and witness his caring and loving nature. 

AA was like his second family, that he looked after with the same passion and made numerous lifelong friends.

Joe was an immense character, who has left an unforgettable imprint in our lives.  My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends. May his big Irish soul Rest in Eternal Peace 🙏 💚☘

When I think of Joe Kelly I think of Life, I think of positive Energy, I can feel His passion for family, friends, and helping others. A great story teller and the best friend to so many. Joe was a guy who had strong beliefs, integrity, respect and a love for those in need. I had the honor of being very close to him and sharing in his love for traveling, laughing, telling jokes, and just being one of the guys. His presence was so special that guys would gravitate to him, to ask questions or to feel apart of what he was doing. Joe taught me to live life, not to be afraid to do new things, ask for help, trust in others who had more experience than myself, always be teachable, be a gentleman, walk with dignity and always hold my head high no matter what I was going through. He would teach us for hours and hours with his experience in all sorts of areas of expertise, Drawing us in with story after story about how the things were back when, or how things should be today, if we excepted to keep what we had. There are so many things I could say to explain my love for Joe and our friendship over the last 9 years, but I think the things that stand out the most is the proudness he shared with me about my Sobriety, my business, my wife and daughter who he never missed a day without asking for pictures and updates on their well-being.   His dedication to family, friends and a earnest desire to for nothing more than to watch others become successful and learn from his lessons on life was unmatched. He was the most loving man I have had the honor to be surrounded by. I am truly grateful for the time, the love, the laughs, the lessons, the tears, & the experience I was granted by our loving father in Heaven, May you Rest In Peace and watch over us all my dear friend.  God Bless You Joe Kelly. 

I loved him always and always will. To me, he was the best dad in the world. 
Would you please join me in a moment of silence while you recall to memory some way in which my dad touched your life (and I expect to see some smiles.) Then, afterwards would you help us close this service by joining me in the Lord’s Prayer?


Dad taught me about faith, by example. His Higher Power, whom he call,“Louie,” was a source of strength to him and though he was quick to correct anyone who called him “spiritual,” he never missed a visit to a sick friend in the hospital or to pray over them when they were too ill to do it for themselves. 
He hit his knees for many a Third Step prayer for new men and years of helping his “pigeons” revealed his generous heart. I watched all of this growing up and I watched as the last of those men came to pray with him in his final days. Faith through action is what my father taught me.
He wasn’t perfect, of course. He had a quick and sometimes vicious temper, but was just as quick to forgive. We would have some roaring fights (at which time, someone would usually point out that he and I were too alike and that was the cause of the fireworks.) 
He always shared his opinions with me—sometimes unasked for and sometimes at the top of his voice--but I never once doubted his love and always knew, in every way, he had my back.
I tried to have his in these last months and know that, as painful as it was to watch him fight to the end, I was blessed to be able to do so. Our relationship only grew stronger as he grew weaker.
He wasn’t happy to go. There was more he wanted to do. Spend time with Susan, watch my boys grow up, be with Austin and Ken and Joey and their families at one more Christmas, attend hundreds of AA conventions, help more guys in the program, teach what he had learned, and travel to that even more places, but his time was up. 
I believe he held out those last few hours just so his family and friends could be there as he exited this world. I’m glad I was there to tell him goodbye and that, bolstered by the strength and wisdom he shared with me my whole life, I was going to be all right. 
He came from a rough beginning, but he made a life of purpose and service and he raised a family who, we hope, are a credit to him.

I watched as he cared for my mother during her final days; offered our couch to anyone who was down and out; shared his last dollar with them (realizing he’d never be paid back;) held me when I cried; tenderly rocked my babies; or how he couldn’t finish a joke (dirty or clean—although most of them were, of course, dirty) without cracking himself up and ruining the punch line. His laugh was loud and infectious and anyone around him found themselves smiling also.
His enthusiasm for life was contagious, too. He traveled the world (once by packing all of us in a rented car for a 10-trip to Colorado that turned into an 8-week, 42-state odyssey that he captured, as he did all his travels, on his ever-present video camera.) 
He loved New York, the city of his birth, and enjoyed showing us all where he grew up and the places he remembered. When he marched down 5th Avenue in his trademark green cap during the St. Patrick’s Day parades, there was no prouder Irishman and he shared piles of photos from his travels to Ireland, a place I would love to have visited with him.
Hearing his tales was always great fun. He shared them with me in his living room, which became my living room thanks to Dad, and around the fire in his beloved cabin in the Georgia mountains. That was a place he loved to visit and he transferred that feeling to me. My husband and sons love it there too, and we will always feel his spirit there with us when we visit. 
Dad went everywhere—besides his many trips to Ireland, he went to Italy and Spain and Thailand and many more ports of call and he always counseled me never to wait in life to do the things I love—but to do them now—before life took another turn and the doorway to adventure closed.  He never turned down an adventure. I hope he is enjoying one now.



I am Kristina Kelly Thomas. My dad called me his favorite daughter. We’d laugh together when I pointed out –again—that I was his only daughter.
When my mother died in 2000, I thought the sun had left the sky forever. My best friend, my confidante, the person I relied on more than anyone else on earth had gone and I felt like I was alone and the light would never shine again.
My father, crushed though he was by my mother’s death, drew on the strength that he always displayed during the hardest times of his life made the light shine again for me.
He became my confidant, my best friend, my pillar of strength when I was weak, my rock during the fiercest storms. 
He was my greatest cheerleader—whether it was yelling even louder than I did sitting in the stands at the University of Florida when the Gators played or showing (with tears) how very proud he was of me when I graduated (and, as you all know, he never stopped bragging about me—or any of his kids—for the rest of his life.)
He played the most cheerful Santa of all time for my elementary school kids. We participated in Walk-a-Thons for cancer together, he helped me set up all my classrooms every year, and he even drafted me to help with his Florida State Convention. We were a team and I couldn’t have asked for a more loyal friend. 
Dad always had a tool belt handy whenever anything needed fixing—from the trailer he gave JT and I when we were first married to our first house. He was always the last one on the ladder or holding a paintbrush or plumbing a toilet. No one worked harder than Dad. And if what needed fixing was a broken heart or a crushed spirit or a problem too big to handle alone, Dad was there for that, too.
He was a big, tough man—larger than life-- (and not just in the stories he told—most of which were true)—but in the fact that he had a larger heart than anyone I ever knew.

Joe was so much to so many people.  He may be gone but never forgotten in the hearts of those who were a part of his world.  May the family cherish the memories.  I am thankful for the part he played in my life.  Thank you for sharing him.  God bless.  

My deepest condolences to the Kelly family.  Joe was my uncle and my godfather, and he will be missed.

The Parting Glass
"Of all the money that e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm I've ever done,
Alas, it was to none but me.
Of all the comrades that e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away.
And all the sweethearts that e'er I had,
They'd wish me one more day to stay.
 But since it fell unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I'll gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be to you all."

Goodnight to you, too, Joe Kelly. 
I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
All my love... all my days.

Kathleen 


To declare Joe Kelly an amazing man would be an understatement. He was an inspiration - to me and so many others . He was such a tough guy yet he had the kindest heart . I never got tired of him telling his very own story from the podium yet I will remember him most sitting around a dinner table while he told story after story . His spirit and inspiration live in so many of us . Joe Kelly was truly one of a kind . Much love to you Joe at that big ole’ coffee pot in the sky ...and condolences to your family and friends ♥️

I would like to express my deepest condolences to the entire family and to Joe's many friends.  This is certainly a huge loss to this world.  I will miss Joe.  He was an amazing guy and an incredible example of love and service to others.  He was an example to me and many others of how to live happily and usefully whole while practicing spiritual principles.  Joe was also the very best story teller and we could all sit for hours anywhere listening to him and have just "one more" cup of coffee.  He had a way to capture your attention and hold it.  

I first met Joe around 1995 or 1996 at an Area Assembly.  We were both trying to solve a need in our District's to make meetings more accessible for the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our fellowship.  We got together with a few other folks from around Florida and set up the Area 15 Adhoc Accessibility Committee, which later became a standing committee.  Joe was the first Area Chairperson for this committee for which he was very proud.  Joe gave everything he did 100%  and I would imagine this was especially true when it involved helping others.  Joe lived a few hours from me so I looked forward to seeing him at Area Assemblies and Conventions.  We always made a point to meet up for dinner at the International Conventions every five years and I always looked forward to seeing him.   Included is a photo of Joe and I in Atlanta at the 2015 International Convention.  Just before that Convention in May of 2015, Joe traveled to Lantana, FL to be our featured speaker for the Annual District 8 Spaghetti Dinner.  It was an amazing night and, as usual, Joe was on fire with charisma and gave a great talk that had us all on the edge of our seats. I hadn't seen Joe since this photo, but did talk with him by phone as his health declined. I will cherish my memories of him always and in my most altruistic moments will think of his example of service to others.  I look forward to seeing him again at "the big meeting" someday.

Deepest sympathy to Susan and the Kelly Family. I have wonderful memories of Joe, he is gone but when i think of Joe he is right there with me, his big smile, the twinkle in his eye. the fun and laughter. his caring and sharing. Joe a giant of an irish gentleman gone but not forgotten

Joe, 
Whenever I had the pleasure of meeting you, I was always welcomed with a warm smile, a great big hug, and kind words. You always presented with such a strong and loving presence that only a great father and grandfather could own. My sincere condolences  to the Kelly family and all those who were loved like family by Joe. 

I will never forget the Love and Encouragement my friend and mentor and sponsor Joe has given me over the years. Rest in Peace!!

We have known Joe for many years around the Naples community. His smile and helping hand  will be sorely missed .
Susan we are so deeply sorry for your loss. May you hold onto lovely memories of your journey together. 
Rest easy Joe .
In Love & Peace 
Heather & Ralph Wesling 

My sincere condolences to all the Kelly family.  Joe was a truly an inspiriation to my recovery and introduced me to his great company  and his extremely knowledgeable employees. I was blessed to have met Joe thru AA. My prayers to the family

Joe Kelly was a wonderful mentor and friend. Thank you for always being there for me.  God bless your family and friends

Never met the gentleman but if Kristina is anything like her dad the world lost a wonderful person

Mr Mark

Joe was a dedicated man. His wife Deborah worked closely with me and taught me a lot!  He will be missed!

“Lift them up”, he said.
“Meet their immediate needs”, he said.
“Look for the magic”, he said.
I hung on every word. Thanks for seeing me, Joe, when I felt invisible.  
I’ll be on the lookout for that Egret! 


Joe,  I will miss your unique personality and charm, I felt welcomed in your presence. I will hold our camping trips with Deborah, Bob, Jayne,  Chris ,Jeff, Laura and Ted and the kids. They were magic! See you next time!

My wife and I knew Joe, (and Debra), for over 25 years. He was one of the first men I met after moving to Naples. Joe took me under his wing as a mentor. I trusted and respected Joe immediately and knew that I could always turn to him for guidance. I am grateful for his friendship but more importantly for the wisdom that he shared with me over the years. Joe Kelly never minced words. He certainly was one of the most authentic and generous men I have ever met. He touched many lives and will be missed by hundreds if not thousands of men and women in the Naples/Marco Island community. May God give rest to his soul and peace to Susan and the entire Kelly family in the days and years ahead. 

Our condolences to the Kelly Family.  You will always have great memories of him..he was so loved by you all.

Joe,
You will be so missed by so many! It was an honor to be your friend for so many years.  You taught us so much! You and your families generosity was immense. You were always an example of patience and kindness yet firm and strong when needed.  Thank you for leading the way for so many.
In His Love and Service 
Deb (Sinn) Bateman

So sorry to hear of Joe's passing. He was always a pleasure to meet whether it was on one of his many visits to family here in  Navan, Ireland, or, on one of our trips to the States. He really was proud of his Irish heritage, but even more so  of his family. He loved telling us of how you were all doing so well and how happy he was for all of you. Keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time, may Joe rest in peace. 

Joe, you will be missed! Such a kind and giving soul. I’m so glad you got to spend your last few years with Susan....you two were so good together. Thank you for becoming part of our family, and for making us part of yours. We will remember you in love and gratitude...

Deepest sympathy to Christina, Kenneth, Joey, Susan and the extended family on Joe's sad passing. We were delighted to have him visit and stay in our home in Athboy Meath Ireland. He was a most thoughtful guest and a huge part of our lives. We were lucky and privileged to know him. As we say in Gaelic- Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis may his soul rest at God's right hand.  At another time we would be booking flights to be at his memorial. We will be with you in spirit. Sincerely Jim Mary and Raymond Burke.

Surrounding your family with comforting thoughts and memories of a wonderful model of love.      May you all be encouraged and lifted as expressions of kindness and tender, loving-joy are shared.    Prayers and supporting thoughts are sent to your family.    Hugs, Kristina............   Sonjia Clodfelder 

Thank You Joe...for all the Memories and Service.....and for being such a great Mentor to the guys you helped.  Thank you for loving Susan...and for loving a the rest of us....from near and afar....  Chip Bowdren, Destin FL

OBITUARY

Joe Kelly

January 9, 1944 – November 5, 2020

Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services