Melissa Kelly
Melissa Ann Marie (Johnson) Kelly, 39, an amazing one in a million wife to Jacob Kelly from Bellevue, MI passed on Saturday, December 25, 2021 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, early Christmas morning. A holiday that she cherished along with it being her favorite time of the year. Melissa was born January 11, 1982, in Battle Creek, MI. She married Jacob Kelly on September 15, 2012. They soon founded Kelly Farms & Club Lambs of which she was very proud of and totally vested in. She served on the Executive committee as a 3rd year member of the Eaton County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, a past Eaton County Fair Board member, and a leader of the Junior Fair Board. Over the past 15 years Melissa was employed at Jackson National in Lansing, Michigan where she continually progressed throughout the company. Melissa was promoted to a Senior Compliance Analyst in March of 2021 spending her last few years with the compliance team who loved and adored her.
She was a stranger to no one, was the life of the party, cherished her friends and brought the best out in everyone. With a smile on her face you would find her mentoring children involved in 4-H and FFA, where she was a huge help with the Bellevue FFA program. Within the FFA program she helped plan from its inception, to getting the room ready, working the fund raisers and serving on the advisory committee. She absolutely loved all those kids! Melissa’s love for shopping and giving were like no other, she would give you the shirt off her back or earrings out of her ears – she was such a giving soul. When time allowed Melissa enjoyed traveling with Jake whether it be to a weekend getaway after harvest was done, or a road trip to pick up a new lamb. Spending time in the sheep barns and attending the sheep shows was a passion for her. She and Jake were rising stars in the sheep industry with Kelly Farms & Club Lambs and are very proud of what they have accomplished.
Melissa is survived by her husband, Jacob; parents, Randy Johnson & Suzanne (Lynch) Johnson; brother, Jarrod (Ronda) Johnson; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Diane and Dennis Kelly; sister-in-law, Amber (Treg) Bryan; nephews, TC and Riggin Bryan. And her beloved fur babies Stryker and Lucy. Melissa is preceded in death by her grandparents Richard L. and Harriet Louise Johnson and Thomas and Mary Lynch as well as her favorite dog Wyatt.
Friends and family are encouraged to support Melissa’s family by attending services or sharing memories on her tribute page at www.prayfuneral.com. Visitation will be held Monday, January 3, 2022 from 5-8 p.m. at Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte, MI. A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Bellevue United Methodist Church, Bellevue, MI, with Reverend Virginia Heller officiating. The funeral will also be webcast so you may watch it from any computer, smartphone, or mobile device that has internet access. Go to www.prayfuneral.com, click on Melissa’s tribute, then click on Photos and Videos from your computer (or Media from your smart phone). In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to the Melissa Kelly Scholarship Fund at Eaton Community Bank (checks payable to Jacob Kelly). The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home.