Martin J. Kelly

Martin John Kelly , 83, of Mason, Ohio passed away peacefully on May 22, 2021, surrounded by his family after a courageous battle against cancer.

In 1937, Martin was born to Joseph “Neil” Corneilius and Margaret Julia Kelly in Bradford, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of four children and grew up in a close-knit family.

In 1955, he graduated from St. Bernard High School in Bradford and was awarded an NROTC scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from Notre Dame in 1959 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

He served his country honorably in the Army for six years as an infantry officer and was assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Hood in Texas.

After leaving the Army, he began work with U.S. Steel. With his strong work ethic and adventurous spirit, he built a career in the business world for over forty years at numerous companies, large and small. His career brought him from Cleveland to Texas to Cincinnati to Atlanta to Houston to Connecticut to Chicago to San Diego to Connecticut to Cincinnati to Minneapolis and finally back to Cincinnati, which he considered to be his home.

After earning a MBA from the University of Cincinnati, Martin served in executive roles at General Electric for over fifteen years. For four of those years, Martin oversaw the operations of the Houston Astros, the Astrodome, and Astroworld. After leaving General Electric, Martin served as a senior executive for Security Pacific Bank and I.T.T. Consumer Finance.

In 1988, Martin became an entrepreneur and owned a series of businesses in Cincinnati. Most notably, he owned and operated Lebanon Plastics in Lebanon, Ohio for several years. Among other awards, he was appointed an honorary citizen of New Orleans in 1961, a Georgia Lieutenant Colonel in 1983, and a Kentucky Colonel in 2010.

He was honest, dignified, humble, and true to his word. He was a masterful storyteller and had a great sense of humor. His laugh could fill the room. Martin read action and spy novels as fast as he could find them. He was an avid fan of Notre Dame football and frequently travelled to campus for games.

Martin was devoted to his large family. Martin loved to drive and to take his children on long road trips. He enjoyed visits to baseball games, amusement parks, and ice cream shops with his family. In recent years, he cheered on his grandchildren at games, recitals and graduations. He loved sitting on the deck on summer nights, with steaks on the grill and a drink in his hand, while trading stories with family and friends.

Martin was a devout Catholic throughout his lifetime. He was a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church in West Chester. He volunteered at the parish and was a regular at daily Mass (even if he was rushing to arrive before the first reading!).

Martin is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Sandy Niederman Kelly, as well as his six children: Kimberly Kelly Smiddy, David (Caryl) Kelly, Brian (Mary-Alis) Kelly, Mike (Kristi) Kelly, Elizabeth (Shane) Williamson, and Tricia (John) Gavigan. He is also survived by his fifteen grandchildren (Lauren, Erin, Tori, Abbe, Katie, Will, Alex, Nora, John, Sydney, Lainey, Avery, Audrey, Lindsey, and Reese) and two great-grandchildren (Colton and Isaiah). Martin was reunited in Heaven with his mother, Margaret, his father Neil, his sisters Kathleen and Julia, and his brother Joe.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 29 at 10:30 am at St. John the Evangelist Church in West Chester, with visitation from 9:30-10:30 am. He will be buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Mason. Martin is loved and will be missed greatly.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. John the Evangelist Parish in West Chester, Ohio.