Ken

Kenneth Paul Kelley, known to friends and family as Ken, has done the unthinkable – he's managed to make even his obituary funny. Born on April 5, 1950, in Columbus, Ohio, Ken had a good run before he passed away on June 15, 2023, in the very same city. As Ellen DeGeneres once said, "Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days." Well, Ken sure made the most of his 73 years and 71 days.

The son of Raymond Lee Kelley and Betty Jean Cramer, Ken was raised alongside his sister, Carolyn Goodwin. He was a proud high school graduate, which is more than can be said for some celebrities (we're looking at you, Mark Wahlberg). Ken spent the majority of his career at the Columbus Division of Water, where he was known for his wit, humor, and ability to make even the most mundane tasks entertaining. As the saying goes, "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Ken must have had a blast at the water division.

Ken's interests included cooking, planting, and gardening – and boy, did he have a green thumb! His garden was the envy of the neighborhood, with plants so big and lush you'd think they were auditioning for a role in "Little Shop of Horrors." And his cooking? Well, let's just say that if laughter is the best medicine, Ken's food was a close second. He could make a mean pot roast that would have you chuckling for days.

When it came to relationships, Ken was a devoted and loving husband to Joe Franklin Morrison. The two were inseparable, and their love story was the stuff of legends – or at least a really good sitcom. In the words of the late, great George Burns, "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." Well, Ken and Joe managed to find happiness together in Columbus, so they must have been doing something right.

Ken was a loving, funny, and kind man who had a knack for making everyone around him feel special. And as Will Rogers once said, "We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can." Ken certainly took that advice to heart, as he spent his life spreading joy and laughter to all who knew him.

As we gather to celebrate Ken's life, let's remember the words of another comedic genius, Groucho Marx: "I intend to live forever, or die trying." Ken may not have achieved immortality in the literal sense, but his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of his family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

So here's to you, Kenneth Paul Kelley – a man who brightened the world with his humor, love, and kindness. You may have left us, but you've left us laughing, and for that, we are eternally grateful.