Funeral for James Roland “Bud” Kelly, 63, of Decatur will be Friday, Aug. 6, 2004, at 11 a.m. at Roselawn Funeral Home Chapel with Ronnie Bullard officiating.
Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Bud Kelly peacefully passed away at home surrounded by his loving family Tuesday evening, Aug. 3, 2004. Bud was born Jan. 22, 1941, in Decatur to Leonard Ray Kelly and Mary Frances McBride Kelly.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy Ann McSwain Kelly; one sister, Mona Ray Kelly Powers of St. Louis, Mo.; one brother, Andy Kelly of Decatur; two daughters, Julie Anna Kelly and Kimberly Blanc, both of Moulton; one son, Byron Moore of Decatur; three granddaughters, Lauren Elizabeth Beatie of Moulton, Ashley Blanc of Hillard, Fla., and Samantha Yourn of Jacksonville, Fla.; and two grandsons, Michael “Eli” Moore of Decatur and Anthony Yourn of Jacksonville, Fla.
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Douglas Ann Thrasher (Livingston . )
BUD AND I GO BACK TO THE GOOD OLE DAYS AT FIRST WARD. THE FONDEST MEMORY THAT BUD ALWAYS HAD OF ME WAS WHEN I THREW UP ON THE BLACK BOARD IN THE SECOND GRADE AND THE TEACHER ASKED HIM TO CLEAN IT UP.HE KIDDED ME ABOUT IT ALL THROUGH THE YEARS. HE THEN REALLY REMINDED ME OF IT WHEN HE CALLED ME AT WORK AND SAID,"I AM TAKING CHEMO AND SICK AS A DOG, AND WHERE ARE YOU?' YOU CERTAINLY NOT HERE CLEANING UP AFTER ME". BUD KEPT HIS SENSE OF HUMOR ALL THROUGH HIS JOURNEY WITH CANCER.
BUD ATTENDED AUBURN FOR AWHILE AND WAS A BIG AUBURN FAN. HE MARRIED AND HAD ONE DAUGHTER, ONE GRANDAUGHTER, AND A GREAT- GRANDSON BY THIS UNION. THIS MARRIAGE ENDED IN DIVORCE.
HE THEN MET THIS YOUNG LADY FROM FLORIDA AND MARRIED HER. THEY LIVED IN ALEXANDER CITY FOR AWHILE AND THEN MOVED BACK TO DECATUR.BUD GAINED A STEP-SON AND STEP- DAUGHTER IN THIS UNION WHEN BUD'S DAD BECAME ILL, THEY MOVED IN WITH HIM TO CARE FOR HIS NEEDS. KATHY LATER CAME TO WORK AT THE HOSPITAL IN THE SAME DEPARTMENT THAT I WORKED IN AND THAT WAS HOW BUD AND I WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER AGAIN. HE WAS STILL BUD, THE JOKER.
BUD .WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. HE FOUGHT A HARD AND ROUGH BATTLE AND AS SO MANY DO, HE LOST HIS BATTLE TO CANCER.
THE SWEETEST MEMORY OF BUD AND THE ONE THAT WILL BE IN MY HEART FOREVER IS WATCHING FRIENDS CARRY HIM TO HIS BACK YARD, OXYGEN ECT STILL ATTACHED. A BIG OVAL TUB FILLED WITH WATER HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE YARD THE DAY BEFORE TO WARM THE WATER. A CHAIR WAS PLACED AT ONE END OF THE TUB. BUD WANTED TO IMMERSED IN BAPTISM AND DOWN HE WENT, A FRIEND HOLDING THE OXGYEN TUBING. THEY THEN SAT HIM IN THE CHAIR AT THE END OF THE POOL SO THAT HE COULD SEE KATHY BEING BAPTIZED. HE WAS SO WEAK AFTERWARDS THAT HE HAD TO BE CARRIED IN AND CARED FOR. THAT AFTERNOON WILL BE IN MY MEMORY FOREVER BECAUSE I WATCHED A FRIEND AND HIS WIFE PREPARE TO BE TOGETHER IN HEAVEN.IT WAS REALLY TOUCHING AS I TOO KNEW THAT MY HUSBAND WAS PREPARING FOR HIS JOURNEY. I JUST KNOW THAT BUD IS UP THERE, TELLING JOHNNY HOW HE HAD TO CLEAN UP AFTER ME.AND I WAS NEVER AROUND TO DO THE SAME FOR HIM
DOUGLAS ANN THRASHER LIVINGSTON
Eddie Tiller
Old Bud, what a guy. We used to spend a lot of time at the tennis court right across the street from him, and had to run little Andy off the court. He introduced me to Johnathon Winters with one of his albums he played for me. One of the all time great comedians. We had some good times together and as a result I met some of his neighbors who we all attended DHS with together. Sorry, only one I can remember was Sabotka who lived next door.Dennis Billings
Bud Kelly and I were friends by quirks of fate, as our paths in life crossed like shadows in the night three times and he became the last classmate I met after graduating. What I remember about Bud is he was not the type like me who would cause trouble if he could avoid it. I never knew him to stir up anger or trouble another soul.I was 12 years old and we were both new newspaper carriers at the Daily and both of us won a trip together to the Grand Ole Opera for getting the most newspaper subscribers. I have a picture that was printed in the Daily of Bud and I as we left to go together to Nashville, but I didn't know anything about Bud before that trip. He lived on the East side of the tracks and I lived on the West side.
Bud was a Tennis player and we played tennis together during our teens. My interest in tennis was secondary to my interest in girls and a great spectator sport. Tennis was a sport you could play with girls legally without getting arrested. One night I was passing a tennis court across from the high school and noticed two girls playing and the beginning of my interest in this sport and loved their typical tennis uniforms. I stayed to watch the two girls who looked identical and they were the Edward twins who were in our class but moved before graduation, but I forgot their first names.
They noticed my interest thinking it was hitting the ball over a net and both bounced up to me and asked me if I wanted to play, well of course, but they wanted to teach me first how to play tennis. So every night we arranged for a few lesson of proper swinging and how to stroke the ball until I could actually hit it over the net. This is how I met Bud again who lived nearby and he had the same interest in the twins and we soon became a regular foursome.
The last path we crossed was in 1970s when my wife then worked with Bud before we married. I had met her by a stoke of luck as she was my new neighbor so I introduced myself to her and began a conversation with the lovely neighbor that lasted all day, and first time I ever had a real 8 hour conversation with a female.
The conversation ended with me getting thrown out of her house when I suggested that maybe we should get married since we both could communicate. She said she couldn't marry me because she was already engaged, but I said no problem give the ring back and lets get married and finish our argumentive conversation.
The next day she told Bud she met the craziest man who proposed to her first day they met, and he asked her who was this crazy guy? She mentioned my name and Bud told her yeah he knew me and I was crazy, but a very nice guy and to marry him if she could.
She took Bud's dubious advise and gave her ring back, but the type of girl who couldn't make up her mind who she wanted to marry and backed out after getting the marriage license since I picked a date that was on her birthday. So I said to heck I will go find a real date.
However, on the date we got married about a month later, I had wrecked and totaled my car when it was smashed by a semi-tractor trailer truck on Lacon Mountain that jackknifed, and got a ride home only when I told a witness I was getting married that night, so he brought me home about 7pm, but there I was now with no transportation and saw my neighbor's T-bird so I knocked on her door and said get your wedding dress on because we are getting married tonight as she needed a husband and I needed her car which was a very expensive deal.
I found a preacher I knew at home and made him open the church for an emergency wedding, and left immediately on our honeymoon, but I had a nice car and like Bud said, she finally had a nice husband. I owe Bud as he saved me a lot of money on dating expenses as me and the neighbor never had a real date before we married.
Dennis