Stephen Joseph Kelly

“Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.”

Stephen passed away unexpectedly at Leighton Hospital on 12th June 2022 aged 68 years.

The beloved partner of Pauline. Much loved dad to Nicola and Lee. Also a cherished grandad and brother who ill be fondly remembered and sadly missed.

His funeral took place on Monday 27th June at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 10.45am

Kind donations in memory of Stephen are for The Christie.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our funeral home on 01270 584447

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Stephen worked and played hard. He loved life and made the most of opportunities. He had many dimensions to his life.

There was family.  Stephen was one of 4 children – Chris, Richard and Julia being the other 3. He grew up in Wolstanton. Later he moved to Betley and finally to Shavington. You can divide his life into 3 more-or-less equally segments: Wolstanton, Betley, Shavington. On the way he fathered 2 children – Nicola and Lee. And now there are 3 grandchildren Sophia, Joseph and Brooke.

Pauline, his partner, and his children and grandchildren are heartbroken at their loss, and our hearts and sympathies go out to them.

And Stephen was well loved by his wider family.

A special word of appreciation for Stephen’s second wife Alison, who willingly accepted Nicola and Lee as her own, and gave them her love alongside the love of Stephen.

To describe Stephen: Firstly… he was into all things mechanical or to do with repairing or making. His garage is a proper man cave. In his technical skill he was a bit of a perfectionist. He put his heart into what he was doing. And, apart from his working life, he wasn’t using his skill to make  money. He valued what he was doing or making for its own sake. And he used his skill to help people – like coming out at night to help a neighbour who could not lock her front door.

Also in that man cave stands his pride and joy:  a HONDA motorbike. It is only 4 weeks since he and Pauline returned from the Isle of Man on that bike. So he was a biker.

His work was for the most part driving: Crossville, PMT, M&S. But before all that he was an AA patrolman. So he was a driver.

So driving leads into classic cars. Two Morris 1000’s are standing in his garden hoping for restoration. A few years ago there was also a BOAT in the garden. So a boatman.

He was a fisherman, camper (camper van in garden) bee keeper, guitar player. He was self-taught, by the way.

He was in the Territorial Army, and nearly went to the Falklands. He kept the rest of us safe. So a Soldier.

His Irish Heritage meant a lot to him. The music during the service reflected that.  Couple that with his interest in family history and you won’t be surprised to learn that he went in search of an ancestral cottage in Ireland. He didn’t find that cottage, by the way. So a genealogist.

He was very sociable.  He could talk for England (and Ireland) with anyone. So he was very much at home in a pub or club.

He was popular with work colleagues.  There are nearly always opportunities to bring a bit of cheer into others’ lives. He was able to give confidence to others in their lives.

Stephen enjoyed his life, and helped others enjoy THEIR lives.

That was pretty well right up until these last couple of weeks, even if he was requiring regular visits to Christies for his leukemia.  It was not expected that he was going to die, and he really should have still been with us. But grimly these things happen. Nevertheless, the family are well satisfied with what Christies and Leighton have done for Stephen. Grateful thanks to them.

He gave his children positive starts in life and the confidence to thrive. Remarkably, Nicola has positive memories of Stephen teaching her to drive. There must be very few kids who would say that of their experience of a parent teaching them to drive.

In family life at its best we see the wonder and splendour of human love – the human love that gives us such joy  and fulfilment, even if, at times like this, our hearts get broken. But also, at times like this, families can be brought together, and that must be a good thing

If you have an eye for what looks attractive and pleasing you enter a realm of spiritual value. Beauty is bigger than ourselves. We step out of ourselves. And in each creative or technical thing we make or do – and Stephen did plenty – we leave something of ourselves. Some of those things remain and embedded in them is the gift of a created memory. They become evermore precious and valuable as time goes by.

Memories live on, and Stephen lives on in your memories. Your love for Stephen lives on. The power of love is stronger than death.

When Stephen was young he was an altar boy, and he used to pump the church organ. In adult life he retained a spiritual belief in the God who loves us. He believed that there is beyond our present existence another higher realm in which, through grace, we can trust in a life for Stephen. Through the God of Love who reflects the love we have in our hearts in this life, Stephen lives on, and it is in that love that those who love Stephen will see him again.