Obituary of Robert Raymond Kelly

Robert Raymond Kelly ~ 69 Vancouver, Washington April 2, 1947 ~ January 27, 2017 Bob Kelly, 69, of Vancouver, WA, passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 27, 2017. He was born in Granite City, IL on April 2, 1947 to Jack and Eleanor Kelly. He was the third oldest of 4 children with older sisters Shirley and Betty, and younger brother Mike. His parents moved their family to California when he was young and that’s where he grew up, graduating from Mt. Diablo HS. He enlisted in the Army at the age of 18 and served 2 years in Germany during the Vietnam War. He was a mechanic in the Army, maintaining a fleet of 10 vehicles varying from Deuce and a Half fleet to Jeeps. This experience would serve him well later in life. Bob fell in love with Susan Nickelson upon returning from the Army. Susan already had a son named Steve, who Bob would soon adopt and give his surname. They were soon married and in September of 1969, Sue gave birth to Kathy Jean. Dennis was born 4 years later in June of 1973 to round out the family. They moved to Vancouver, WA in 1974 where they raised their family.  Bob loved to take his family for Sunday drives, camping trips with the Kelly family and their friends, and summer vacations to California to visit family.  Bob’s heart was always with his family. Bob was a carpenter who worked on yachts for Willards Boatworks in southern California. He found a job with Charlot Marine in Portland, OR before moving the family to Vancouver. He was known throughout the Portland area boating community as a master craftsman, one who could literally build any portion of a yacht or boat. Bob met the love of his life, Cheryl Kelly, in 1987 and they’ve been together ever since. Cheryl is a devoted wife and mother who loved Bob dearly. Cheryl’s kids became their kids as Bob loved them as much as his own. Bob and Cheryl enjoyed many years of drag racing together. They had a special affinity for pets, having had many special four legged family members over the years. They could hardly turn away a stray, so much so that many animals were taken care of and fed that never really belonged to them. Cheryl supported Bob through his healthy times and during his health struggles, ultimately witnessing his heartbreaking decline. Bob’s absolute favorite hobby was drag racing, specifically, NHRA ET Bracket Racing. He raced every chance he got, with the love and support of his family who enjoyed watching him. He was a 2-time NHRA Division 6 ET Bracket Racing Champion, along with countless track championships at PIR and one at Woodburn Dragstrip. Bob’s favorite race was the Nightfire at Firebird Raceway outside of Boise, ID. One of his favorite racing memories is traveling with son Steve to Pomona in 2008 where Steve was crowned Summit ET Racing Series Pro Bracket National Champion. Bob was a quiet competitor and a racer’s racer, who let his on-track results speak for him. Many racers have commented that he’s the best drag racer they’ve ever witnessed and certainly this was the case on the starting line as his reaction times were commonly in the .00’s, perfect or nearly perfect on the majority of his rounds. Bob joins his son Dennis who passed away in January of 2011. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl; son, Steve, Steve’s wife Jody, and their three children, Ashley, Tanner, and Brody; daughter, Kathy Jean Schroeder, Kathy’s husband Matt, Kathy’s daughter Shelby Grewell, and her three children Ace, Dakota, and Jaxon; Stepdaughter, Anika Wahl, Anika’s fiance Josh, and her daughter Akasha; stepson, Doug Liggett and his daughter Desirae; stepson, Tyler Morris, Tyler’s wife Rafferty, and their twin children Paige and Logan; sisters Shirley Stamps and Betty Meyers; and brother Mike Kelly. A Racer’s Racer, Our Hero