Roll Call Tribute

STEWART FAMILY FUNERAL HOME obituary
7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy
Tyler, TX 75703
Telephone: (903) 581-2008
Email: info@stewartfamilyfuneral.com

William Thomas "Tom" Kelly
December 1, 1928 - February 28, 2019

Services for Mr. William Thomas “Tom” Kelly, 90, of Tyler will be held Monday March 4, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in the Stewart Family Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Darryle Dunks officiating. Burial will follow at Cathedral in the Pines Cemetery under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home.

Son of the late James Carroll Kelly and Mary Lucretia D’olive Kelly, Tom was born December 1, 1928 in Houston, Texas. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, then attended and graduated from Texas A&M and was a member of the Corp of Cadets. He met his first wife, Carol Ann Kutcher Kelly in church and they were married in 1954. Carol passed away in July 1978. Tom remarried in March 1982 to Dorothy Pappas Kelly, who he met in church, and they were joyfully married for 36 years until his passing.

After college, Tom spent the late 1950s leading a seismic team for Texaco in West Texas. Wishing to settle down, he then moved the family to the Dallas area in the early 1960s. There, with the revolution of the transistor, he began his career as an Electrical Engineer working at Texas Instruments and continued this work at Raytheon/E-Systems and LTV until his retirement in the late 1980s. During his time in Dallas, Tom was very involved in First Baptist Church and later Calvary Baptist Church, both in Garland. After retirement, Tom and Dorothy followed their dream of transitioning to a little slower pace of life in East Texas and they moved to Tyler in the early 1990s. They joined Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler and were very involved there until his passing.

The most important thing in Tom’s life was Jesus, his rock and foundation. Tom brought his family up with this foundation and instilled in his family, through his life, the importance of this spiritual foundation. He demonstrated his faith through his love for his family and his love and service for others. He served the church as a deacon for many years and was very involved in the Gideons organization with the goal of distributing bibles and telling others about Jesus. He shared the Gideon’s belief that God’s Word is not only relevant, but powerful. Those who read it and apply God’s truth to their lives experience hope, joy, and redemption through Jesus.

Tom quietly departed this life Thursday, February 28, 2019 at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. He was preceded in death by his son, Paul and his first wife, Carol. His life will forever be cherished in the lives of his wife, Dorothy of Tyler; his children, Bill of Mesquite, TX, Jim of Rockwall, TX, John of Chicago, IL, Carlene Wagner of Houston, TX and Lisa Turner of Longview, TX; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Barbara Batty of Port Neches, TX, Merila Peloso of Orange, TX; son-in-law, Dale Turner of Longview, TX; daughters-in-law, Mary Kelly of Mesquite, TX, Dea Kelly of Rockwall, TX, Jill Kelly of Chicago, IL; nieces and nephews, Carol Batty of Beaumont, TX, John Batty of Albuquerque, NM, David Robichaux of Haleiwa, HI, Lisa Marcelli of Houston, TX; and a host of other friends and relatives.

Visitation is scheduled from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler.

If desired, memorials may be made to Gideons International, P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214 or Green Acres Baptist Church, 1607 Troup Hwy., Tyler, TX 75701


Visitation

MAR 3. 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Stewart Family Funeral Home
7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy
Tyler, TX, 75703
info@stewartfamilyfuneral.com


Service

MAR 4. 2:00 PM

Stewart Family Funeral Home
7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy
Tyler, TX, 75703
info@stewartfamilyfuneral.com


Cemetery Details

Cathedral in the Pines
S. Broadway
Tyler, TX,