Evelyn K. Kelley
Jan. 4, 1928 - Aug. 4, 2015
Evelyn Violet Kimpel Kelley, 87, passed away August 4, 2015 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was born in Urbana, Illinois on January 4, 1928 to Herman and Anna Kimpel, the sixth of eight children. She was a homemaker who will be remembered as a loving and beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt and for her compassionate spirit. Mrs. Kelley was a member of Riverchase Church of Christ in Birmingham and a long-time faithful member of the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ in Decatur, Illinois, where she served as a teacher, mentor, and wife of an elder. She attended Urbana High School in Urbana, Illinois, where she was a majorette, involved in several drama productions and selected the 1945 Prom Queen. Urbana High is also where she met her sweetheart and husband Wendell to whom she was married for 61 years until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley settled in Decatur, Illinois where they raised their family of 5 sons, while she supported Wendell in his career at Illinois Power Company, also serving at church, playing golf, tennis, and traveling. She graduated from Millikin University in 1974, the same day that her son, Alan graduated from the University of Illinois. Mrs. Kelley kept a positive attitude toward life all through her valiant struggles with a bout of cancer and then the effects of multiple sclerosis, and pulmonary fibrosis later in life. Some of her fondest memories were of the annual summer vacations with her sons and their families. Just last month, she spent a week at the gulf coast of Florida with her family of five sons and wives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Kelley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wendell; four brothers, Julius, Robert, Martin, and Ray; and one sister, Alice. Survivors include her sons, Jeff (Marsha) of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Dave (Beth) of Collierville, Tennessee, Alan (Angie) of Franklin, Tennessee, Steve ( Sue) of Oak Park, Illinois , and John (Diana) of Birmingham, Alabama; sisters, Anna Leonard and Edna Huston; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren, with another one on the way. A memorial service will be held at the Riverchase Church of Christ, 1868 Montgomery Hwy South, Birmingham, Alabama with visitation at 6 p.m. and the service at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2015. Additionally, a funeral service will be held at the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ, 821 N. Sunnyside Road, Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, August 8, 2015 beginning with visitation at 12 noon followed by a celebration of Mrs. Kelley's life at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at East Lawn Cemetery in Urbana, Illinois. Memorial gifts may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Published in The Birmingham News from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, 2015
Jan. 4, 1928 - Aug. 4, 2015
Evelyn Violet Kimpel Kelley, 87, passed away August 4, 2015 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was born in Urbana, Illinois on January 4, 1928 to Herman and Anna Kimpel, the sixth of eight children. She was a homemaker who will be remembered as a loving and beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt and for her compassionate spirit. Mrs. Kelley was a member of Riverchase Church of Christ in Birmingham and a long-time faithful member of the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ in Decatur, Illinois, where she served as a teacher, mentor, and wife of an elder. She attended Urbana High School in Urbana, Illinois, where she was a majorette, involved in several drama productions and selected the 1945 Prom Queen. Urbana High is also where she met her sweetheart and husband Wendell to whom she was married for 61 years until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley settled in Decatur, Illinois where they raised their family of 5 sons, while she supported Wendell in his career at Illinois Power Company, also serving at church, playing golf, tennis, and traveling. She graduated from Millikin University in 1974, the same day that her son, Alan graduated from the University of Illinois. Mrs. Kelley kept a positive attitude toward life all through her valiant struggles with a bout of cancer and then the effects of multiple sclerosis, and pulmonary fibrosis later in life. Some of her fondest memories were of the annual summer vacations with her sons and their families. Just last month, she spent a week at the gulf coast of Florida with her family of five sons and wives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Kelley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wendell; four brothers, Julius, Robert, Martin, and Ray; and one sister, Alice. Survivors include her sons, Jeff (Marsha) of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Dave (Beth) of Collierville, Tennessee, Alan (Angie) of Franklin, Tennessee, Steve ( Sue) of Oak Park, Illinois , and John (Diana) of Birmingham, Alabama; sisters, Anna Leonard and Edna Huston; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren, with another one on the way. A memorial service will be held at the Riverchase Church of Christ, 1868 Montgomery Hwy South, Birmingham, Alabama with visitation at 6 p.m. and the service at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2015. Additionally, a funeral service will be held at the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ, 821 N. Sunnyside Road, Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, August 8, 2015 beginning with visitation at 12 noon followed by a celebration of Mrs. Kelley's life at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at East Lawn Cemetery in Urbana, Illinois. Memorial gifts may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Published in The Birmingham News from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, 2015
Evelyn K. Kelley
Jan. 4, 1928 - Aug. 4, 2015
Evelyn Violet Kimpel Kelley, 87, passed away August 4, 2015 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was born in Urbana, Illinois on January 4, 1928 to Herman and Anna Kimpel, the sixth of eight children. She was a homemaker who will be remembered as a loving and beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt and for her compassionate spirit. Mrs. Kelley was a member of Riverchase Church of Christ in Birmingham and a long-time faithful member of the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ in Decatur, Illinois, where she served as a teacher, mentor, and wife of an elder. She attended Urbana High School in Urbana, Illinois, where she was a majorette, involved in several drama productions and selected the 1945 Prom Queen. Urbana High is also where she met her sweetheart and husband Wendell to whom she was married for 61 years until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley settled in Decatur, Illinois where they raised their family of 5 sons, while she supported Wendell in his career at Illinois Power Company, also serving at church, playing golf, tennis, and traveling. She graduated from Millikin University in 1974, the same day that her son, Alan graduated from the University of Illinois. Mrs. Kelley kept a positive attitude toward life all through her valiant struggles with a bout of cancer and then the effects of multiple sclerosis, and pulmonary fibrosis later in life. Some of her fondest memories were of the annual summer vacations with her sons and their families. Just last month, she spent a week at the gulf coast of Florida with her family of five sons and wives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Kelley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wendell; four brothers, Julius, Robert, Martin, and Ray; and one sister, Alice. Survivors include her sons, Jeff (Marsha) of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Dave (Beth) of Collierville, Tennessee, Alan (Angie) of Franklin, Tennessee, Steve ( Sue) of Oak Park, Illinois , and John (Diana) of Birmingham, Alabama; sisters, Anna Leonard and Edna Huston; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren, with another one on the way. A memorial service will be held at the Riverchase Church of Christ, 1868 Montgomery Hwy South, Birmingham, Alabama with visitation at 6 p.m. and the service at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2015. Additionally, a funeral service will be held at the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ, 821 N. Sunnyside Road, Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, August 8, 2015 beginning with visitation at 12 noon followed by a celebration of Mrs. Kelley's life at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at East Lawn Cemetery in Urbana, Illinois. Memorial gifts may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Published in The Birmingham News from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, 2015
Jan. 4, 1928 - Aug. 4, 2015
Evelyn Violet Kimpel Kelley, 87, passed away August 4, 2015 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was born in Urbana, Illinois on January 4, 1928 to Herman and Anna Kimpel, the sixth of eight children. She was a homemaker who will be remembered as a loving and beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt and for her compassionate spirit. Mrs. Kelley was a member of Riverchase Church of Christ in Birmingham and a long-time faithful member of the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ in Decatur, Illinois, where she served as a teacher, mentor, and wife of an elder. She attended Urbana High School in Urbana, Illinois, where she was a majorette, involved in several drama productions and selected the 1945 Prom Queen. Urbana High is also where she met her sweetheart and husband Wendell to whom she was married for 61 years until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley settled in Decatur, Illinois where they raised their family of 5 sons, while she supported Wendell in his career at Illinois Power Company, also serving at church, playing golf, tennis, and traveling. She graduated from Millikin University in 1974, the same day that her son, Alan graduated from the University of Illinois. Mrs. Kelley kept a positive attitude toward life all through her valiant struggles with a bout of cancer and then the effects of multiple sclerosis, and pulmonary fibrosis later in life. Some of her fondest memories were of the annual summer vacations with her sons and their families. Just last month, she spent a week at the gulf coast of Florida with her family of five sons and wives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Kelley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wendell; four brothers, Julius, Robert, Martin, and Ray; and one sister, Alice. Survivors include her sons, Jeff (Marsha) of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Dave (Beth) of Collierville, Tennessee, Alan (Angie) of Franklin, Tennessee, Steve ( Sue) of Oak Park, Illinois , and John (Diana) of Birmingham, Alabama; sisters, Anna Leonard and Edna Huston; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren, with another one on the way. A memorial service will be held at the Riverchase Church of Christ, 1868 Montgomery Hwy South, Birmingham, Alabama with visitation at 6 p.m. and the service at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2015. Additionally, a funeral service will be held at the Sunnyside Road Church of Christ, 821 N. Sunnyside Road, Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, August 8, 2015 beginning with visitation at 12 noon followed by a celebration of Mrs. Kelley's life at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at East Lawn Cemetery in Urbana, Illinois. Memorial gifts may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Published in The Birmingham News from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7, 2015
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Loving parents of Jeffrey, David, Alan, Stephen and John.
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