Helen Isabelle Kelly

Helen Kelly, 97, passed away on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 in Englewood, Colorado. Helen’s wild sense of humor, sage advice, courage and kind and caring manner will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

Helen was born on April 10, 1928, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to the late Ewart McRae and Helen Hughes. She had a wonderful childhood in Vancouver—playing baseball, kick the can and run sheep run in the corner lot. When she wasn’t playing, she took singing, dancing and elocution lessons and was a member of the Dadye Harvey Rutherford Revue, and sang in the school and church choirs. She also entertained professionally on CBC radio, TUTS in Stanley Park, and for the Canadian Armed Forces. In her teen years she went to work at Woodward’s Department Store to help support her family during WWII and attended Business College at night to earn her degree. Once she graduated, she promoted to working in the office at Woodwards and eventually moved on to pursue a secretarial career.

She met the love of her life, Bernard (Bernie) Kelly while singing at his brother’s wedding. He took her home and she knew then that he was the one. Eight years later, they married on November 3, 1951, in Vancouver, BC. Bernie’s work took them to San Leandro, California where they had daughter, Michele, and then later moved to Azusa, California where Patrick (Rick) and Michael (Mike) were born. The family again relocated to Arvada, Colorado in 1968. Helen was a stay-at-home mom until Bernie took sick in 1975 and she returned to the workforce at Red Rocks Community College in the Business Department and later in Human Resources until she retired in 1991.

Helen was known for her unwavering love of family and friends. She also enjoyed shopping till she dropped, singing and reading. She loved meeting and helping people and volunteered at the Arvada Senior Resource Center as well as at Weber Elementary School where her grandchildren attended.

Helen was preceded in death by Bernie on August 18, 1980 and her son, Michael Kelly on November 15, 2001. She is survived by her sister, Margery Hamilton; son Rick Kelly and wife LaJean, daughter Michele and husband Michael (McCall); her beloved grandchildren Cole Kelly and wife Tierney, Cori Kelly and husband Jordan Dean, Sean McCall and wife Colleen, and Brandon McCall and wife Melissa; and six great-grandchildren (Aizlin, Mila, Tristan, Steven, Benjamin and Cora); and many other family members and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 1 PM in the Olinger Crown Hill Serenity Pointe, with a reception to follow.