How do you say Thank you, I love you to a man who shared your memories and love of your family 
Uncle Joe had been apart of my life since my birth.  He was there when I needed him to come and rescue me from the consequence of my actions. Never reprimanding, listening and caring.  
Aunt Bev was my playmate, paper dolls and make believe.  A home away from home when I was little.
Later, he would let me pick his memories of my daddy, his grandparents and our family history 
He was loved by us all- we will miss him, Cindi

Gotta love Uncle Joe chewing on the dogs bone

Joyce Kelly Townsend, Wilburn (Buddy) , Charles (Louis) and Billy (Joe) Kelly

REST IN PEACE JOE. i FIRST REMEMBER JOE AT BHS AS A SENIOR FOOTBALL PLAYER AT BHS bULLDOGS FOOTBALL TEAM,  THEN AS A FCSO DEPUTY. PRAYERS FOR THE FAMILY!

Continued from previous post: My sister Brenda remembered when we were very young, we had a green parakeet, named Perry. Perry was allowed to fly freely around the house and liked to ride or rest on Uncle Joe’s head. One day Perry left a little doodle in his hair, and we thought that was yucky and funny at the same time.
When I was a child, he was more like a big brother than an Uncle, and some of my earliest childhood memories are of warm summer nights riding in the back seat of his dune buggy under a sky full of stars, the waves of the ocean crashing nearby, no seat belt, no top, hanging on for dear life, and squealing with delight, as we careened up and down the dunes...feeling completely safe simply because Joe was driving.
With Uncle Joe’s passing, we lose our last direct link to my mother’s generation, and that feels like the closing of a precious chapter in our family’s story. But what remains is love — lasting love, family love, steady love — the kind Joe and Beverly shared throughout their lives together. 
My heart is with Aunt Beverly, my cousins, their children, Joe and Beverly’s grandchildren, and all who loved him. I loved him and I will miss him.

When I think of my Uncle Joe, I smile first at the thought of the young man he was when he fell in love with Beverly. 
I was friends with her sister Charlotte, and I still remember the night we peeked through the curtains giggling as Joe kissed Beverly goodnight. It seemed so romantic and grown up to us then. Looking back now, it feels even more special knowing that sweet young love became a marriage that lasted nearly seven decades.
Joe and Beverly built a beautiful life together and raised two wonderful children who reflect the love, strength, and goodness they shared. Through the years, Beverly became not just part of our family, but truly one of the hearts of it. After Grandma passed, she lovingly helped care for Granddaddy Kelly with the same quiet devotion and kindness that she has brought to so many people throughout her life. Together, Joe and Beverly created an enduring friendship, partnership and love that I was fortunate enough to witness.
Many of you may not know or remember that Joe was voted “Best All Around” by his senior class members, or that he had a twin sister, Betty Joann, who died in infancy of pneumonia. He was a good athlete in high school, fun, handsome, and well-liked by so many. 
Too many of whom have gone before him. 
I remember sitting in my 5th grade class hearing my Uncle Joe’s car roar to life a half mile away. He had custom glass-pack mufflers, and when he cranked the engine, it exploded with an ear-splitting roar you could hear for miles.
He would pump the gas pedal several times, making sure everyone in Bunnell was wide awake. You could hear the thunderous crackle and sharp popping noise, like gunshots, when he let off the gas at the end of the block. .... continued on another post.

OBITUARY

Billy "Joe" Kelly Sr.

December 7, 1937 – May 24, 2026

Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home & Flagler Memorial Gardens

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