Joe Connelly Kelly

Funeral services for Joe Kelly, 78, currently of Lubbock, will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, June 10, 2022 at Grace Fellowship Baptist church in Portales with Pastors Ron and Jeff Fox officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetary with Brian Poynor, Brett Poynor, Brad Poynor, Trent Walker, McLayne Hall, Lee Walker, Kevin Hall, and Greg Poynor serving as pallbearers. All friends will serve as honorary pallbearers.

Joe Connelly Kelly was born May 18, 1944, in Beaumont, Texas to the home of Nona Estelle (Newton) Kelly and Charles Cullen Kelly, and passed from this earth to the arms of his heavenly Father on Saturday afternoon June 4, 2022 in Lubbock, TX.  Joe grew up in Bon Wier, TX and attended school in Newton, TX where he graduated in 1962. Following high school he joined the US Air Force. During his enlistment he was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, NM and then McDill Air Force Base in Florida. While stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, he met the love of his life, Georgia Nell Bailey in Clovis. They were married August 18, 1964 at Sandia Baptist Church in Clovis, NM.  They lived in Bon Wier, TX for several years. In 1972 they returned to Portales to establish their home. Since 2010, they have resided in Lubbock, TX.

Joe loved working with his hands and owned/operated Bayou Construction while in Portales. He crafted the homes his family lived in and the majority of his work was laying brick and building dairies in the Clovis, Portales, and surrounding areas for many years. He was also mechanically gifted. His family states he could fix and do just about anything which is a trait he passed along to his children. In the summers, he served as coach to his daughter's softball teams and his son's basketball teams. He was always in attendance at all of their sporting events and kept up with his children's and grandchildren's sporting events over the years. He was an avid sports fan especially the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys. When not working, he enjoyed traveling the country with his family. After their children left home, Joe and Georgia traveled to Hawaii, Alaska, Israel, The Caribbean and various other places together.

He is survived by his loving wife, Georgia, of 58 years, a son, Joseph Kelly, of Dallas, TX; 3 daughters and son-in-laws, Leah and Greg Poynor of Seminole, TX, Sonia and Lee Walker of Splendora, TX, Julie and Kevin Hall of Lubbock, TX; 10 grandchildren, Brian (Shelby) Poynor, Brett (Alyssa) Poynor, Brad Poynor, Trent (Elizabeth) Walker, Brooke Walker, McLayne Hall, Preslea Hall, Landree Hall, and Lisette and Laurel Kelly; 7 great-grandchildren, Taylee, Graham, and Jack Poynor, Hudson and Lincoln Poynor, Georgia Claire Walker, and Klaicee Layne Hall; and one sister, Patricia Schiwart of Port Arthur, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nona and Charles Kelly, three brothers, Billy Zay Kelly, Carroll Homer Kelly, Charles Cullen Kelly Jr., and one sister, Ella Mae Robichaux.

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