Obituary of Stephen Patrick Kelly

Stephen "Steve" Patrick Kelly was born on September 1, 1947 in Cresco Iowa. He was the sixth child of twelve born to John and Mary Kelly and grew up on the family farm. Steve graduated from Crestwood High School in Cresco, IA in May 1965.  He continued his education at Loras College in Dubuque, IA, where he was captain of the wrestling team and graduated in May 1969. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army from 1969 through 1972. His Tours of Duty included Vietnam and Korea. After his honorable discharge, he moved to Minneapolis. 

One evening in 1977, while out with his buddies at a peanut bar, he met Dawn Cressey. They quickly fell in love and less than a year later, they were married on July 29, 1978. In 1981, Steve and Dawn welcomed their first of three children, Meghan, Erin followed in 1984 and finally Tim in 1987. In August of 1986, the Kelly family moved out to Woodinville, Washington to start a new adventure as Steve started a new business, ENA Couriers. 

Steve loved watching his children grow up, supporting them through school and attending all of their sporting events. He shared his passion for basketball with his family, practicing with the children on their court in the backyard and attending the Seattle Supersonics games. Steve enjoyed his yard work on the weekends, hosting barbecues and teaching family and friends how to play pickleball. The family were able to build lasting memories together during their international travels to Costa Rica, Thailand, Turkey, their Baltic Sea cruise and Belize, to name a few. 

Steve became a grandfather "Bop" in 2007 welcoming his first of five grandchildren, Myles, followed by Reilly, Kelvin, Krew and Penelope. Bop was lucky to be able to spend a lot of precious time with all of his grandchildren, a significant role model in all of their lives. 

After 25 plus years of struggling with Parkinson's Steve never complained. It took courage but he was able to make a positive difference in the lives of his family, friends and anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him. 

Please consider making a donation in Steve's honor to find a cure for Parkinson's.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research