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Bill Kelly Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Bill Kelly
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Shelly Currin
October 30, 2022
Heartbreaking to hear about this! As many others have said, Bill was an amazing, gentle, encouraging person. Our son was in Scout Troop 74 and it was such a blessing the way Bill interacted with the boys in the troop. What a huge loss. May you all rest in the memories of what a blessing he was to so many.
gsm
October 18, 2022
condolences sadly will be missed gone too soon!
Joe Mulqueen
October 12, 2022
I never met Bill, but my wife and I would frequently sit a few rows from him during Sunday mass at St Clare Church for many years. I could always tell he was a respectable man but only once or twice had the chance to shake hands as we always had our eye on our sons....either alter serving or with us in the pews. Time moves on - our sons are now in high school, and Bill is in a better place waiting for us all some day.
Craig Gamma
October 9, 2022
I worked with Bill and watched him move up the ranks. Bill was always pleasant to be around. I will never forget Barb´s response while we had a Christmas dinner at Fire Station 1. An emergency call rang down and all the crews left the long table, at the rear of the fire apparatus floor, to get to their rigs. We all did what we normally do, dropped our pants and step into our fire turnouts. After the call, Barb mentioned, "I did not know they did that?" Anyway, aside from all the work fun, I did have the unfortunate experience to have Bill discipline me in my later years of work when he was Fire Chief. You see, I forgot to show up for an overtime fireworks show. Chief Kelley had to follow through with some action but all the while he was calm, collective, smiling and light hearted. Yes, I deserved a reprimmand, and it was a pleasure receiving it from Chief Bill Kelly. I had a couple years left before retiring and truly I had to stop signing up for overtime inspections and events because the trend of forgetting continued. Not sure why, but it haunts me to this day for occassional doctor appointments while in retirement. Bottom line, Bill Kelly was a great man and I always respected him!
G. Carter
October 7, 2022
To the Kelly Family -
Thank you for sharing Bill Kelly with us for all these years. His service to and love of his community was an inspiration to those that truly care about the place that they live and want to work to make it better.
Personally, he gave me the opportunity to get hired into "The best job in the world." I will never forget the day that he called me and asked me to be one of his firefighters. What an honor.
I will also always remember the compassion and support that Chief Kelly showed to me and my family in our own time of need when we suffered tragic back-to-back losses in our family. I will never forget that at my lowest and when I needed it the most, my Fire Chief had my back. I will be sure to pass on that same kindness and support to others to pay it forward.
I am wishing you the peace in knowing that he was respected by many for being a kind and decent man, and he will be sincerely missed by those that knew how big his heart was.
With heartfelt condolences -
Gail Carter (SCFD) & Family
G. Carter
October 7, 2022
To the Kelly family -
Thank you all for sharing Bill Kelly with us. His long and honorable service to his community in the uniform of a Santa Clara Firefighter is a shining example of truly caring about where you live and trying to make it better.
Personally, he gave me the opportunity to get hired into "The best job in the world." I will never, ever forget the day he called me and asked me to be one of his firefighters. What a moment. What an honor.
I will also always remember the true compassion and support that Chief Kelly showed me and my family in our own personal time of need when dealing with back-to-back losses of our own family members in 2013 and 2015. I will never forget that when I needed it most, I knew that my Fire Chief had my back. I will strive to pass that kindness and support on to others when my time comes to pay it forward.
Chief - Thank you for always being a kind and decent man. You will be missed.
With sincere respect of his memory, and heartfelt condolences on your loss -
Gail Carter & The Carter Family
Bradley Thoreson
October 7, 2022
Chief, you were always there for me. This breaks my heart. You were truly a "man for others". May you rest in peace and my condolences to your family.
Veronica, Ryan and Kevin Murphy
October 7, 2022
We were greatly saddened to read about Bill's passing. We knew Bill through Troop 74, truly admired him, a great family-oriented man, happy to know him. Our sincerest sympathies to the Kelly family; we send you our thoughts and pray for you at this time.
Jean-Paul Hill
October 6, 2022
Thank you for your service both as Chief and in Scouting. You will be missed.
Thomas Viano
October 6, 2022
To the Kelly family: I'm sorry for your loss and sorry that we are out of town right now. Bill was and always will be one of the great men of the world and of our community. His patience, kindness, and unending smile will always be part of my memories of Bill. He had a way of making everybody feel good and happier with a quick and quiet joke. I was lucky enough to work with him on the Parish Emergency Plan when I ran the Parish Council. He would often say that you can't underestimate the power, warmth, and comfort a light source can bring in a time of darkness. Bill will always be a source of light and warmth for all of us. Blessings to Barbara and the Kelly children.
Kim & Tom Brown
October 6, 2022
Bill was one of the nicest most genuine people I know. Tom had really gotten close to him these last few years in Rotary and enjoyed working with him on projects. I'm so sorry for your loss. The world just lost one of the good ones!
Terri and Casey Potts
October 6, 2022
I will never forget how Kind Bill was to me and the kids every time we encountered him. My husband often spoke of what a true heart of gold he had. He will be sorely missed and leaves a hole in our hearts. One of my fondest memories was when he invited the Chiefs to dinner at his home during Christmas. A small and lovely gathering full of love and kindness and blessings. May he rest in Eternal Peace with the Heavenly Father. Thank you Bill for your dedication to so many others - our love to Barb and the family.
Mark Boeckman
October 6, 2022
Barb and Family,
Our prayers go out to you. You're left only with the memories, but I know they are wonderful ones. I know I'll always remember the 50 mile Sacramento canoe trip with Bill, Billy and the rest of Troop 74. I was lucky to know Bill. Such a treasure to your family and the community was lost.
Prayers and love.
Mark & Kathy Boeckman
Lori Ventura
October 5, 2022
Barb, Billie, Patrick, and family... Wow! I'm at a loss for words right now. I'm so very sorry for your loss and hope that you find peace with the lord at this time of grief. We are going to we OOT 10/6-10/25 so we won't be able to attend the services on Fri/Sat. Please know that our thoughts and prayer are with you and the family during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Lori and Vince Ventura
Vince Ventura
October 5, 2022
I 1st met Bill in 1997, our boys were in Scouts together. He was such a great volunteer and helped the Pack and Troop be a great success. Bill would always jump in to help out in so many areas. Sorry to say we did not stay close as our boys got older but we thought about Bill and talked with fond memories. Such a great man.We will miss you Bill.
Gary Niblock
October 5, 2022
I wish I wasn´t writing this. So many of us will miss Bill. I was fortunate enough to be Bill´s "Academy brother" in 1984 when we were hired by the SCFD. No one knew then that he would eventually rise through the ranks to become the Chief of the department. But I know that I wasn´t surprised. Bill did everything right and he was the right choice. For Barb and the family you can all take comfort in knowing that everyone had a good feeling for Bill. He was in fact, a "Righteous Dude". May he forever live in our hearts.
Roger Boone
October 5, 2022
My encounters with Chief Kelly, while incidental, were always meaningful. During a training evolution at the former Kaiser hospital in Santa Clara, I was a newly promoted Captain, he thanked us for our participation and added that "you represented your organization very well today." Thank you for your encouragement, Chief! Always a positive encounter with Chief Kelly. Rest in piece Chief.
Phil Kleinheinz
October 5, 2022
When it comes to adequately expressing the level of respect that so many of us have for Bill Kelly, there simply are no words. He lived his life in a way that served as a shining example of how positivity makes everyone's world a little better. One of my favorite memories of Bill was the day (night) I reluctantly entered the world of retirement and handed over the reigns of the Santa Clara Fire Department to the newest Fire Chief, Bill Kelly. We officially passed the baton (Chief's badge) at the stoke of midnight on January 14, 2012. Chief Kelly enthusiastically accepted his new responsibilities and it did not take long before it was obvious that he would become the best Fire Chief that Santa Clara ever had. He led with a sense of dignity and moral courage that inspired many and he served as an example of how leadership and humility can effectively co-exist. He was truly a servant of the people. I will miss Bill for the rest of my life and I know there are a lot of others who will miss him too.
Randy, Nancy, Zack, and Emily Enos
October 4, 2022
We will miss Bill´s kindness, positivity, and great sense of humor. May he rest in peace. Forever in our hearts.
Ginny Orlando
October 4, 2022
Though I didn't know Bill well, I knew what kind of man he was by the way he adored his family and how much they loved him! May he rest with the Lord and be free of his pain. To Barb, kids and all the family: You are all in my prayers and if you need anything, you just pick up the phone.
The Zipse Family
October 4, 2022
We are so sad to read about Bill's passing. Only very recently did we hear that he was sick. Our prayers and love go out to the Kelly Family. Bill was a Santa Clara staple and very much loved by our community. RIP Bill.
Bob Ricks
October 4, 2022
I always enjoyed being working with Bill in various Rotary projects. Our Santa Clara club is in mourning. My condolences to Barbara and the family. We lost a good man. Bob Ricks
Ismael Perez
October 4, 2022
Our heart felt sympathy to the entire Bill Kelly family. Chief Kelly was a beautiful individual in all respects. It was a true Honor to be part of his life. We will be miss him but we will not forget him.
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