Janet Kelly Berlin

Janet Kelly Berlin, 65, of Houston, Texas, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 29th, surrounded in prayer by her devoted husband, children, and siblings. As she left her earthly body, she was embraced by the love of her family and entered the care of her Lord and Savior.

Born on November 30, 1959, in Columbia, South Carolina, Janet was the beloved daughter of Robert Kelly Jr. and Shirley (Morrow) Kelly, who preceded her in death.

Janet fulfilled many cherished roles throughout her life—daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She is survived by her loving husband of 27 years, Joshua, and their three children: oldest daughter Sarah Lagrimini and her husband Randy, along with their daughter Riley; her son Christopher Stapleton; and her youngest daughter Emily Berlin.

She is also survived by her siblings: Rick Kelly and his wife Janet Castle-Kelly and their three sons; Brian Kelly and his wife Jamie and their son and two daughters; and her sister Sandra Feller, along with Sandra’s two sons and partner, Quoc Bui.

Since much of her extended family lives out of town, it was a true blessing that her son, daughter, brothers and their wives, and one of her nephews were able to travel to Houston to support her and her Houston family during her final days.

To her granddaughter Riley, she was affectionately known as “Cha Cha,” a role she treasured above all. Janet was a proud and devoted grandmother. She spent time with Riley every chance she could and especially loved their evening FaceTime calls.

Janet retired earlier this year after 19 years of service as a Principal’s Secretary with Katy ISD and Cy-Fair ISD, primarily in special education. Before her career in education, she worked many years in bookkeeping, specializing in accounts payable for car dealerships.

Everywhere she went, Janet ran into someone she knew. She built countless friendships through her years in the school system, as a life long girl scout volunteer, and church. She also loved direct sales from Tupperware to Paparazzi.

She also loved baking and crafting, from chalking to knitting, and once considered opening a bakery after baking and decorating countless unique birthday cakes.

She was looking forward to enjoying retirement at her lake property—fishing, boating, birdwatching, and riding in her red golf cart.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Ecclesia, located at 1100 Elder St., Houston, TX 77007. The service will take place on November 15, 2025, starting at 4:00 pm.