Kelly Neil Arthurs

Mr. Kelly Neil Arthurs was born on June 21, 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia and passed away on April 2, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 52 years. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Arthurs family. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Glenhaven Memorial Chapel, 1835 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. Phone 604-255-5444.

REMEMBERING

KELLY NEIL ARTHURS

21 June 1968 - 2 April 2021

We want to remember our son, brother, uncle, and friend Kelly Arthurs. As we think of Kelly we are also remembering all those men and women lost to addiction in his lifetime and the thousands, like him, lost recently to Fentanyl. Kelly continues to be loved by many people: his friends who mourn him, Angelique, his mother Wendy, his sisters Sandra, Kirsten, Jackie, Suzie, Chrissy, and Chelsy, his brothers Shaun and Reuben, and his extended Jaks family.

Kelly grew up in Chemainus and was a sweet-tempered kid. He left school in his early teens, moving between Vancouver Island and Vancouver multiple times -- but he always had a home in Nanaimo. As an adult, Kelly was often described as fun-loving and charismatic with a good sense of humour. He formed lifelong connections with people, and he charmed a few women along the way. Many who knew him will remember him as open and affectionate all the way through his journey: when reuniting with Kelly, you’d usually get the biggest hug. He truly enjoyed his nieces and nephews, and they always had fun with their Uncle Kelly.

Kelly appreciated the small pleasures and comforts in life. He was an extensive reader, and sometimes he had a lot of "time" to read. He was a talented artist and skateboarder and he loved to snowboard. He surrounded himself with his drawings and paintings and proudly wore the art of his friends in patches and tattoos. He liked to look good.

With the Jaks, his skateboarding, patch-wearing family, Kelly truly felt he was part of something larger than himself. He got on the Vancouver Jaks team in the late ‘80s and with a friend started a Vancouver Island division in the years after. He travelled with the Jaks to San Francisco, Baja, Seattle, Lake Tahoe, Portland, and Long Beach.

Kelly was a complex person who never sought to conform, but he had difficulty filling his bucket. He went all in when he put his mind to something -- whether it was work, relationships, hobbies, or digging in on his strongly held opinions. He was stubborn. He got himself into trouble and always got caught. And he got into a lot of trouble. He tested those around him even as he loved them fiercely; yet he was able to help some friends ride out their own hard times.

Despite his many attempts to get clean, Kelly struggled with life-long drug addiction. This was a hard wave to ride, and its consequences were not easy to live with. But Kelly was so much more than his dependence. Our hearts were stretched far in loving him and worrying about him and hoping to change his path, but they are breaking in his passing.

Rest in peace Kelly.

If you wish, you can remember Kelly by donating to the Union Gospel Mission.

https://www.ugm.ca/donate