Thomas Kelley (75) of Effingham

Thomas Kelley, 75, of Effingham, IL, passed away on Monday, September 27, 2021 at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021 at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham, IL. Burial will be in Mason Cemetery in Mason, IL. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021 prior to the service at the funeral home. Please wear a mask for all services and practice social distancing guidelines.

Memorials may be made to Evergreen Nursing Home Activity Fund. Online condolences may be shared by clicking here. 

Thomas was born on August 25, 1946, in Effingham Illinois, the son of Ralph D. Kelley and Lillian (Huff) Kelley.

Thomas was a kind and loving man. He always enjoyed visiting with family and neighbors and loved a good belly laugh. He was a truck driver, tool and die maker for B and L Tool and Design, a machinist for Sim Products, and Mayor of the Town of Mason, IL for a time. He truly enjoyed small and large projects that he could exercise his skills as a jack of all trades from woodworking in his home garage, reengineering tools to fit a purpose, to major projects of infrastructure for the Town of Mason. He was a kind, understanding, and loving father with many life lessons passed on from family member to family member. He loved to spend time with his dog Coda. He was a father, a husband, a mentor, and a friend.

Thomas is survived by his son, John Thomas Kelley (partner, Em Hanna) of Kansas City, MO; sisters, Joyce (Jim) Coleman of Crossville, TN, Shirley (Gene) Davenport of Farmington AR, and Bernice Chaney of Hannibal MO; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Lillian (Huff) Kelley; father, Ralph D. Kelley; brothers, Ralph and William “Bill”; and sisters, Betty L. Jones and Virginia Kiel.