Joan Marie Kelley was comforted by family when she passed away peacefully on April 13, 2023.
Joan was born at home on the family farm in Nashua, MN on November 6, 1939 to Carl and Edna Ludwig – the 4th of 5 children. She attended Tintah High School in Campbell, MN where she graduated as the Valedictorian. She married Roger Graff on July 20, 1957 and together they had three children – Debra, Timothy, and Cindy. They moved the family to Montana in 1967 and later divorced.
Joan then met James D. Kelley, and they were married on October 4, 1969 in Lima, MT. They were on their way to Las Vegas to get married when a snowstorm closed Monida Pass. When the couple turned around to get gas and come up with a new plan, it just so happened that the owner of the gas station was also a Justice of the Peace. He called his wife to come down to the store, and when the next customer entered, they had the witness they needed, and a ceremony was performed.
Joan worked at Helena Optometric Group (later Montana Eyecare) for over 20 years as the bookkeeper and office manager. She had many wonderful coworkers who were also some of her closest friends. She retired in 1996 at the age of 57.
Joan and Jim loved to travel and took many trips to explore the country. They went from the Oregon Coast to Maine and Florida, and many places in between. The trips they seemed to enjoy the most were those taken with her sister Shirley and brother-in-law Howard.
Joan and Jim were long time parishioners of Liberty Baptist Church and loved their church community.
Joan’s love for her own family was unconditional and she was everyone’s biggest supporter. She was so proud of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that she got to spend much time with – they were all her greatest joy.
Joan is preceded in death by her loving husband of 53 years, James Kelley; her parents Carl and Edna Ludwig; her sisters Shirley Cluckey and Jeanette Magnuson; and great grandson Tyler Lindquist.
She is survived by her siblings Beverly Wessels (Larry) and Doug Ludwig (Jeannie); Brother in Law Charles Kelley; Sister in Law Margaret Dykes (Charles); her children Debbie Bogle (John Berry), Tim Graff (Mary), Cindy Donnell (Jack), and stepson Danny Kelley (Cindy); grandchildren Cassandra Kelley, Aimee Lindquist (Jason), Mikal Moore (David), Erinn Donnell, Morgan Ellingson (Bryan), Megan McCauley (Justin), and 9 great grandchildren.
Joan’s family would like to thank the staff at The Legacy / Beehive Homes for making her feel so loved. We will be forever grateful for the wonderful care that she received there.
A funeral will be held at noon on Friday April 21st at Liberty Baptist Church, 210 Sierra Road. A reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall of the church. A private burial at Fort Harrison will happen later that afternoon.
Tom Rasmussen says
Joan was an employee at the optometric clinic I was a partner in for over 20 years and we became quite well acquainted. She was an absolutely wonderful person and an incredible employee. She and her good friend, Bernie
Grovom who she worked with for years, were a foundational part of our office and I will always be appreciative of
them.
I know Joan was a born-again Christ follower and for we who remain behind there is sadness but yet we can rejoice in that Joan is walking on streets of gold in heaven with her Lord and Savior and is reunited with her beloved husband Jim.