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Wendell Kelley
In Memory of
Wendell
Kelley
1933 - 2018
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General Information

Full Name Wendell Kelley
Date of Birth
Monday, December 11th, 1933
Date of Death
Monday, January 1st, 2018
Place of Death
Lubbock, TX

Service Information

When
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 11:00am
Officiating
Rev. Steve Smith
Location
University Baptist Church
Address
1012 W 15th St
Portales, NM

Interment Location

Location
Portales Cemetery
Address
Crnr 3rd and Kilgore
Portales, NM

Reception Information

Reception Extra Info
Funeral services for Wendell Kelley, 84, formerly of Portales will be held at 11:00 AM, Wed., Jan. 3, 2018 at the University Baptist Church in Portales with Rev. Steve Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Kevin Kelley, Perry Kelley, Donald Stuart, Matthew Kelley, Josh Turner and Dylan Stuart serving as pallbearers. Carter Wendell Kelley, known to virtually everyone as Wendell was born Dec. 11, 1933 in Gordonville, TX to the home of Lois (Holt) and Carter Evans Kelley, and died early on the morning of Jan. 1, 2018 in Lubbock, TX. Wendell's family moved several times when he was a small child, but about 1943, they settled in Portales. He enlisted in the Army in 1951, and served in Korea during the Korean War. He served in the 465th Dump Truck Company as a Combat Engineer. Wendell was wounded twice while there, and was awarded two Purple Hearts. The first time he was wounded was at the Chosin Resevoir when a phosphorus grenade exploded. The second time was while clearing a mine field. When he was discharged from the Army, he came back to Portales, and on June 10, 1955 in Bledsoe, TX, he was married to Cecile Smith. In 1956, they moved to California where he attended Barber School. Me first worked for another barber, Steve Preston, but later bought the shop and operated it for several years. Later he worked in two other shops before returning to Portales in 1983, and purchasing the Sands Barber Shop. He sold his business in 2007, and moved to Lubbock to be nearer their daughter and their medical providers. For several years after returning to Portales, he was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church, but in the early 1990's he and his wife moved their membership to the University Baptist Church. Wendell enjoyed traveling as well as camping and fishing. He had a small woodworking shop, in which he made numerous children's toys, and several pieces of furniture. He also did some welding, and together, he and Cecile kept an immaculate yard. In addition to his church, Wendell enjoyed the fellowship of the Portales Masonic Lodge #26 AF&AM. He is survived by two sons, Steven Kelley and wife, Pat of Las Vegas, NV and Perry Kelley and wife, Amy of Salt Lake City, UT; a daughter, Cindy Stuart and husband, Donald of Lubbock, TX; a daughter-in-law, Lorna Kelley of Logan, UT; 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Jean Crozier of Monahans, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Frank Kelley, and by Cecile, his wife of more than 62 years, who died on Fri., Dec. 29, 2017.
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