Kelly Joye Cranford

A funeral service for Kelly Joye Cranford, 61, will be held at 3 PM Sunday, March 2nd, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina, with burial following in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 2 PM to 3 PM prior to the service.

Kelly passed away on Friday, February 14, 2025, in Cam Ranh Vietnam, while on a Southeast Asian cruise with her husband. Born in Columbia, she was the daughter of Louise Tapp “Cooter” Joye and the late Raleigh Laverne Joye. A graduate of A.C. Flora High School, Kelly attended the University of South Carolina and Columbia College. She grew up attending Trenholm United Methodist Church. Kelly had many interests but especially loved her cats, traveling, and trips to the beach. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her daughters who were her greatest passion.

After getting married in 1990, Kelly moved to Kingwood Texas, where her husband had recently accepted a new position. Their lives together during almost 35 years of marriage took her from Kingwood to Plano Texas, Franklin Tennessee, and eventually to Charlotte. She quickly adapted to each new city and made many lifelong friends. While Kelly loved everywhere they lived, she was grateful for the move to Charlotte since it brought her back closer to both their families.

Surviving are her husband Alan Cranford, daughters McKenna Cranford and Riley Cranford, mother Louise Tapp “Cooter” Joye, sister Pamela Bender (Stuart), brothers Lee Joye and Michael Joye (Henrietta), sister-in-law Jane Singh (John), her nieces, many cousins (especially Gena Renfrow), and countless cherished friends. She was predeceased by her father, Raleigh Laverne Joye.

Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice but she had an affinity for animals so that would be preferred.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com