Jo Kelly

Jo Kelly, born in Owatonna, Minnesota, on April 13, 1932, to Raymond & Mary Malone, passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 10, 2025. She was 93 years old and left this world just as she lived in it—wrapped in love and light. A Funeral Mass will be held in Jo’s honor on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta, GA. A catered Visitation for family and friends to gather will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025 between the hours of 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 PM at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home in Kennesaw, GA. Jo will be interred next to her loving husband at Georgia National Cemetery on Monday, May 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM.

A proud Minnesotan with a heart as warm as a summer day, Jo was hard working, strong-willed, playful, witty, kind, outrageous, and high-spirited. Jo worked for three decades at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where her dedication and compassion touched countless lives. She brought that same energy and generosity to everything she did, including her role as a founding member of Transfiguration Catholic Church, the church where she and her beloved husband Pat worshipped.

Jo was married to Pat for sixty-two joyful years until his death in 2017. Theirs was a love story filled with laughter, resilience, commitment through good times and bad, a ridiculous amount of cars, a true partnership, and unwavering devotion. Together, they traveled the world, danced the polka, and made memories at their cherished Florida timeshare. Jo was the life of every party—the kind of person who lit up a room just by walking in. Her infectious laugh, radiant smile, energy and boundless joy for life made her the original “Little Ms. Sunshine.” She put the word social in Social Butterfly. Jo was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, sibling, aunt and friend.

She never met a stranger and had an uncanny ability to make everyone feel seen, loved, and welcomed. With clever wit and a can-do spirit, Jo got things done— helping those in need, often before they even realized they needed help, and sometimes insistently “Take a breath mint. No really, have a mint. You really need to take a breath mint.” She loved the simple joys: a good game of cards, a bowl of ice cream, her lunch bunch and tending to the blooms in her flower garden. Whether dancing, laughing, or socializing, Jo lived fully and generously. She leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, joy, and kindness that will live on in all who knew her.

Jo is survived by her children: Kathy Kelly-Huey & husband Fred; Tim Kelly & husband Kieran: Terry Kelly & wife Shirley, and Maureen Kinsella & husband Damian; brother, Jim Malone (Jan); grandchildren, Whitney Black & husband Ty, Julia Kelly, Maya Kelly, Patrick Kinsella, Colin Kinsella, Liam Kinsella and Sean Kinsella; great-granddaughter, Merrick Black; many nephews & nieces whom she adored; and her “special friend”, Anthony May. Jo was preceded in death by her loving husband Patrick Kelly; sisters, Jean DeVries & Patricia Berhow

Jo will be deeply missed, but her spirit will continue to shine brightly in the lives she touched