Leon James Kelly

He is survived by his loving wife, Anita Homola Kelly and his sister, Mary Rogers (Charley). He was a loving uncle to 22 nieces and nephews as well as a growing and thriving number of great and great-grand nieces and nephews. 

He is pre-deceased by his siblings, Thomas A. (Therese), Edward (Cookie), Theresa Klausner (Harry), and Cecilia Mannel (Robert). 

Leon grew up in South Jersey and attended Holy Name then Camden Catholic High School. Leon and his family had many friends in South Jersey. He grew up in North Camden in a ‘musical’ family. His love of music and theater remained with him throughout his life. Family and friends will long remember his ‘Boogie Woogie’ piano renditions at the frequent family gatherings and his famous ‘Pippin Production’ to celebrate Edward and Isabella’s 50th. He took immense pride in the artistic accomplishments of his numerous nieces and nephews. He loved being Uncle “Noel” and lived a very active life at the “shore". His passions were boating, golfing, skiing, traveling, and music.

Leon loved sports. He played basketball in high school and enjoyed following his favorite teams. He was very active in social work during his years in South Jersey. Having graduated from the University of Louvain, he lived a life of service, dedicated to social work and ministry, including four years of service time in missions, in Brazil.

He moved to North Carolina with his wife, Anita, in 1999 where he enjoyed his retirement years.  He was active in his Bay Tree Lakes community in Harrells, NC where he enjoyed playing golf with his buddies weekly and was active in community events. 

A celebration of Leon’s long and loving life will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations will be welcome to Habitat for Humanity http://www.habit.org/, the Christian Appalachian Project https://www.christianapp.org, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital http://www.stjude.org. 

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