Alphonse George Kelada

1933 - 2018

Alphonse George Kelada

Greer - Alphonse George Kelada, 84, passed away on April 7, 2018 at the McCall Hospice House of Simpsonville, S.C. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt on August 15, 1933, to the late George David and Marie Shehata Kelada.

He is survived by his wife, Nabila Rafla Kelada, whom he married on August 6, 1972 in Montreal, Canada; his son, George Kelada, and his wife, Julie Wyatt Kelada; his daughter, Dahlia Kelada Kerr, and her husband Christopher Alan Kerr; his grandchildren, Wyatt Gabriel Kelada, Elle Alexandria Kelada, Lucas Alan Kerr, and Maggie Evan Kerr; and his sisters, Nadia Kelada Naguib, and Isis Kelada Magadan and her husband, Edito. Alphonse was preceded in death by his dear friend and brother-in-law, Dr. Selim Naguib.

Mr. Kelada held a Master's Degree in Chemistry. His lifelong career in package (yarn) dyeing included training in Germany and Switzerland before immigrating to Montreal, Canada in 1964. During the 1970's, he served as General Manager of the Dominion Textiles Mount Royal Dyehouse in Montreal. After the company acquired Linn-Corriher in Landis, N.C., he moved his family to Salisbury, N.C. in 1980 to serve as manager of the Corlin Dyehouse. In 1985, he joined U.S. Finishing in Greenville, S.C. as General Manager.

In February of 1988, Mr. Kelada, with the help of his unwavering wife, founded Spartan Dyers in Spartanburg, S.C. His son, George, joined the business full-time in 1996 followed by his daughter, Dahlia, in 1997. In November of 1997, Spartan Dyers acquired the Pharr Yarns Sterling Plant in Belmont, N.C. He would regularly mention that owning a facility like the Sterling Plant exceeded his wildest dreams. Sharing his passion for dyeing yarn with his family and team of loyal associates brought him great joy. So much so that he had no interest in retiring.

Mr. Kelada was also passionate about supporting the Christians of Egypt. He was a founding member of the Copts Association in both Canada and the United States. Locally, he served the Lord through his efforts at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church located in Mauldin, S.C. The church started in Greenville in the early 1980's when the first families gathered together in their homes to pray. Mr. Kelada was instrumental in making the construction of their church a reality in 2001. The church is built in the Coptic tradition and now serves as a place of worship for approximately 200 families.

Mr. Kelada regularly reminded those around him of the reality that, "We are in the hands of the Lord." We take comfort in knowing that he is now at home with the Lord.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 13th, at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, 1604 NE Main Street, Simpsonville, S.C. 29681. The funeral service will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th, at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, 507 South Main Street, Mauldin, S.C. 29662.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church Youth Fund, P.O. Box 26195, Greenville, S.C. 29616-1195.

Condolences may be left for the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee.com.