Kelly

Richard James “Dick” Kelly, 84, of Meridian, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle, died Friday afternoon as a result of a fall in his home.

Born in Butler on Feb. 9, 1928, he was a son of the late William P. and Helen Overheim Kelly.

Dick was a 1945 graduate of Butler High School and was retired from the Butler Armco Steel silicon department after 36 years employment.

He had been an active member of St. Fidelis Roman Catholic Church in Meridian, formerly St. Conrad parish, for more than 60 years, where he was a former Eucharistic minister, usher and fish fry volunteer. He also had been an active member of the Knights of Columbus Butler Council 866, its duck-pin bowling leagues and was a bingo caller for decades. He also was a past co-president and long time volunteer of the Tanglewood Senior Center.

Dick was known to many children and their parents as “Gold Dollar Man” because he loved to delight children and did so by distributing golden dollars to them whenever and wherever he could. His favorite saying was always, “Here's to it, and from it, and to it again. If you don't get to it to do it, you may not get to it to do it again.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, three sisters and his first wife, Helen Jurysta Kelly, who died March 6, 1979.

He is survived by his loving wife, Rita Gaus Lang Kelly, who he married Jan. 10, 1981; five children and their spouses, Richard J. and Marlene Kelly Jr. of State College, Colleen Kelly and Dennis Laich of Powell, Ohio, Kathleen and Rob Olson, Patrick and Glenda Kelly and Timothy and Mitzi Kelly, all of Butler; three stepchildren, Gerald Lang of White River, S.D., Gretchen and Richard Petrarca of Erie and Margy Lang of St. Augustine, Fla.; one sister, Eleanor Kelly Rossi of New Jersey; his grandchildren, Erin Kelly, Sean (Christine) Kelly, Brett Stewart, Elizabeth (Matt) O'Leary, Ryan (Sarah) Notaro, Ryan Kelly and Sharon Ambrose, Nicholas Petrarca, Jordan Petrarca, Lori (Sean) Clarkson and Brian Lang; 11 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and his good friends, Ernie Kemper and Kay Kaiser.

KELLY — Friends of Richard James “Dick” Kelly, who died Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, will be received at the Geibel Funeral Home, 201 E. Cunningham St., Butler, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Fidelis Roman Catholic Church, Meridian, 125 Buttercup Road, Butler. His pastor, the Rev. James Murphy, will officiate. Following cremation, inurnment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Butler.In lieu of flowers, his family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Tanglewood Senior Center, the Alzheimer's Association or the Wounded Warriors Project.