Marilyn Mae Kelley

Marilyn Mae Kelley passed from this earth on June 20, 2026. She was born near Detroit, Michigan in 1942 as Marilyn Michaels. She lived in Birmingham, Michigan until age 15 when her family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. She graduated from Boga Ciega High School in what is now Gulfport, Florida. Marilyn attended college at University of Florida and St. Pete Junior College before graduating from Florida State University in 1964.

She moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1965 and worked at Sinclair Oil Company where she met James Franklin “Frank” Kelley. They married in 1968 and resided in the Gwinnett County cities of Norcross, Suwanee and Sugar Hill during the next 53 years. She taught Pre-Kindergarten Classes at Norcross First United Methodist Church for 31 years. She was a huge sports fan and loved supporting the Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Bulldogs. Marilyn and Frank also enjoyed traveling together and were able to visit 49 of the 50 states along with many Caribbean Islands. For the last 3 years, she had resided in Alpharetta, GA.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Vivian Michaels; her husband and her sister, Janie Budd. She is survived by her brother, Tom Michaels (wife is Margaret); two daughters, Sandra Yole Brown (husband is Jon) and Vicki Herman (husband is Jeff); two grandchildren, Whitney Knopf (husband is Trey) and Devon Yole; and two great grandchildren, Ella Knopf and Bowen Knopf along with several nephews and nieces.