Michael Lynn Kelly April 5, 1952 – May 23, 2026

Son. Brother. Navy Veteran. College football player. Biker. Husband. Union Officer. Coach. Father. Grandpa. Hero.

Every one of those names fit Michael Lynn Kelly perfectly. Michael “Mike” Kelly was a man of strength, grit, humor, loyalty, and purpose. He lived a life dedicated to protecting, teaching, and providing for others, and his impact stretched far beyond his own family.

Mike served proudly in the United States Navy as part of an assault craft unit stationed in San Diego. It was there, in 1974, that he met the love of his life, Sheila. Mike was nearing the end of his military service when they met, but the connection between them was immediate and lasting.

After being discharged from the Navy, Mike made the trip from San Diego to Colorado with his lifelong best friend, Richard Martin, in a Volkswagen Beetle named Sanbo. Mike continued on back home to Kansas for a short time before returning to Greeley to follow his dream of playing College Football. Dad longed for the gridiron again and walked on at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He was told he was too slow and too short, but the same coach offered him a roster spot the next week.

He studied Political Science and worked for a local mobile-home builder. He and Sheila talked on the phone every chance they could get. They both knew they were meant to be together, so Sheila made the trip out to Colorado once her Navy service was done in Pensacola. Literally an entire nation between them could not stop fate. They married within a year of Sheila arriving in Colorado and moved out to Kersey. Dad chose his career and joined the Carpenters and Millwrights Union Local 510 together with Richard. Known simply as “Kelly” to many, Mike’s natural leadership qualities were immediately recognized within the union, and they elected him President of Local510. He worked harder than almost anyone who knew him. Long days and 14-hour shifts were simply what a man did to keep the wolves away from his family; Then one day, the wolves found him.

A catastrophic workplace accident involving a falling steel I-beam crushed his hand and changed the trajectory of his life forever. After years of painful rehabilitation and surgeries, including a fused and plated wrist, Mike fought his way back to functionality through sheer determination. In classic Kelly fashion, he later stunned people by bench pressing over 300 pounds in the Eaton High School weight room with the bar balanced across his thumb.

The irony of fate was not lost on him. Following his injury, Mike dedicated his professional life to protecting workers from suffering the same fate he had endured. He went on to serve as a Compliance and Safety Officer for OSHA within the United States Department of Labor. His work helped shape portions of the 1926 Code of Federal Regulations for Construction, particularly in silo safety, roadway signaling, traffic control design, and flagger safety.

Mike was recognized as Federal Employee of the Year during his distinguished 20+ year career. In 2001, he volunteered to assist at Ground Zero in New York following the September 11 attacks. He would later volunteer to help after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Always placing service over self, Mike gave and gave and gave.

To his sons, however, those accomplishments still came second to who he was at home. Somehow, he still found time to be Dad. Mike dedicated himself fully to his boys and their passions. Whether it was Scouting with Michael, dirt bikes and motocross with Kevin, or football with both boys, he showed up. Hundreds of young men in Eaton, Colorado knew him simply as “Coach Kelly.”

Many still remember the moment he would turn his hat backward, put his hand in the dirt, and demonstrate exactly what “old man strength” meant. More than a few pairs of broken eyeglasses were sacrificed in the process, much to the delight of his optometrist and the bewilderment of wide eyes behind the facemasks.

But his greatest coaching happened off the field. Mike had a unique ability to reach troubled young men and teach them accountability, discipline, and self-worth. He believed no one was permanently stuck where they were in life. Through hard work, responsibility, and grit, he believed anyone could change their future.

In retirement, Mike continued his lifelong love of fishing, a passion that began in the gravel pits around Logan, Kansas and stayed with him throughout his life.

Sadly, his retirement years were shortened by Parkinson’s Disease. After years of exposure to toxic chemicals during his Navy service and toxic air while volunteering at Ground Zero, Mike began a long battle with the disease. For more than 16 years, he fought Parkinson’s with the same toughness and stubborn determination that defined every chapter of his life.

Even as the disease slowly took pieces of him away, it never took what mattered most. His family still saw the fighter. His friends still saw the protector. His sons still saw their hero.

Mike was preceded in death by his father Floyd and mother, Maxine, and by his brother, Kevin.

Mike is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Sheila Kelly; his son Michael Kelly and wife Sarah Kelly; grandsons Ronan, Emmett, and Griffin; his son Kevin Kelly; grandson Kash Stark-Kelly; granddaughter Kollyns Kelly; and his lifelong best friends, Richard Martin and Richard’s wife, Linda. Also survived by his sisters, Marilyn Donahey, Janelle McCreery, Jackie Bostick and Jamie Fischer, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. His legacy lives on in every person he coached, protected, mentored, worked beside, and loved.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. with a luncheon to follow at the Eaton Recreation/Community Center located at 1675 3rd St Eaton 80615.

The family is asking that any donations or memorial contributions be made to the following GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-memorial-for-mike-kellys-legac