Walter Francis Kelley III

Walter Francis Kelley III — or Walt, as he was known to most — died peacefully on February 13, 2024 surrounded by his daughters, fiancee, siblings, and childhood friends. He was incredibly beloved — he made an impression on everyone he met — whether you had known him since kindergarten or you'd cashed him out at the grocery store.

Walt was born in Los Angeles to Walter Francis Kelley Jr. and Donna Darnall on December 26, 1961. Walt was primarily raised by his father in Agoura Hills, CA on Dovetail Drive. He was the oldest of the 3 Kelley kids — the big brother to his siblings Kevin and Kathy — as well as half-sister, Rebecca. Walt, Kevin, and Kathy were raised Irish Catholic, and were all baptized and confirmed in the Church. The Kelley’s left Dovetail for Malibou Lake when Walt’s father married Sandi, adding his step-siblings, Lance and Vivian, to the family. The Kelley’s maintained close friendships with many of the Agoura crew, but none so much as the Lewis family — siblings Lisa, James, and the late Kelly, Christine, and father Paul — that lived across the street. Walt will get to remain by his best friend Kelly Lewis’ side forever, as the two will be in the same burial plot thanks to the generosity of the family.

Walt loved sports, animals, dirt bikes, and his ever expanding friend group. He was a bit of a trouble maker, but no more so than any of the boys that he grew up with — and remained friends with to this day. A soccer standout in the Conejo Valley, he continued this at Agoura High School, where he also ran cross country. Along with sports, Walt showed a passion for woodworking, even winning an award for Wood Shop his senior year, which may have inspired him to pursue carpentry as a career. He graduated from Agoura High School in 1980 and married his high school sweetheart, Melissa Reynolds (now Oliver), in 1988.

They welcomed their eldest daughter, Emily, in 1989, youngest daughter, Julia, in 1991 and settled down in Simi Valley, CA. Walt drove a bread truck as a teamster for Pioneer Bakery, while getting his contractors license and working occasionally as a carpenter. He played soccer in the Latino League in LA, as well as adult soccer in Simi Valley for several years. The family hosted many a barbecue, birthday party, and get together where Walt could be found around the grill or in the garage talking about his Honda motorcycle.

In 1998, the Kelley’s left their family and friends in SoCal in the hopes of giving their kids a better life on California's Central Coast. He began working for his distant cousin Turko Semmes at Semmes and Co. Builders, building sustainable straw bale homes across SLO County. Walt acted as a mentor for younger crew members, and always seemed to have a age-diverse group of friends and coworkers around. It wasn’t unusual for Walt to have his daughters and dog in tow on jobs, especially during the summer when school was out. Everyone knew the Kelley girls immediately — since Walt always kept their latest school pictures on the dashboard of his truck.

After getting divorced in 2002, Walt moved 1 mile down the road so that he'd still be heavily involved in his girl’s lives. In 2005, he met Susan Figoura, starting a nearly 20 year relationship between the two — Walt and Susan were happily engaged and were making plans for a wedding and to travel at the time of his passing. They had recently moved in together, after being across the street neighbors for the duration of their relationship. They share a dog, Koko, and many happy memories together as they’ve watched both Emily and Julia get married and have children in recent years. Called Papa Walt and Nonna Susan, their two granddaughters, Leia and Allareese, will continue to learn about their grandfather through the endless stories their family will tell them.

Walt served as Emily’s soccer coach for 3 years in Paso Robles AYSO, including two division championship teams and one county championship. He was also involved in Emily’s All-Star soccer teams, which included Paso Robles High School stars Lee Ann and Bianca Nilsby, Ashleigh Bertoni, and others. He was beloved by players and parents alike — though he did get into the odd confrontation with referees for his enthusiastic coaching style. He also never missed one of Julia’s singing competitions (where he usually pretended not to cry), kept all of the girl’s athletic trophies and academic accomplishments in the display case at his house, and bragged to anyone who would listen about how proud he was of his daughters throughout their lives.

Walt was a 26-year fixture of the Heritage Ranch community at Lake Nacimiento where he was still residing at the time of his death. A natural athlete, even long after his soccer and cross country days were over, Walt enjoyed water skiing, wake boarding, boating, fishing, kayaking, and cliff jumping at the lake every chance he got. He was a constant presence at “The Point” and took great pride in the fact that, at just 13 years old, Emily could pull their boat onto the trailer while he drove the truck. One fateful weekend, he saw a man drowning, pulled him from the water, and helped resuscitate him. The man, Dan, has called Walt every year on the anniversary and even invited Walt to family weddings and gatherings. He was the unofficial mayor of his street, knew all his neighbors names, and could be seen bouncing from house-to-house on Sundays during football season.

An incredibly hardworking man, Walt did manual labor for most of his career to insure he could provide for his kids and loved ones. He enjoyed working with his hands and even as he got older, never wanted to take a desk job as a foreman or project manager. Walt was a proud American as the son of a Korean War veteran, but he never really cared about politics. He was a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, and even got the opportunity to watch games at Soldier Field in the freezing cold. He’s also attended NFL games at CenturyLink Field, LA Lakers Games, and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He could tell a story like no other — stories that should have been 5 minutes turned into 30 and yet you barely noticed or cared because of how riveting he could be.

He will be remembered and missed by all who knew him and leaves behind a considerable familial legacy of love and laughter. Walt is survived by his daughter Emily Kelley Kunin, her son-in-law Peter, and granddaughter, Leia; daughter Julia Schmitz, son-in-law Mark, and granddaughter Allareese; brother Kevin Kelley and sister-in-law Holly Kelley; sister Kathleen “Kathy” Muro; fiancee Susan Figoura; step-brother Lance Cook; step-sister Vivian Germain; half-sister Rebecca Ramsey; heart-siblings Lisa Lewis Burns and James Lewis along with their families; ex-wife Melissa Oliver; his 14 nieces and nephews; 12 great nieces and nephews; his Darnall cousins, aunts, and uncles; and an uncountable amount of friends.