William Francis Kelley

William F Kelley (Bill) passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening 11-19-25.He is survived by his wife Mary Kelley children Rita Swenson, Kevin Kelley, Pam Sokolwoski, Mark Kelley, Matt Kelley, Brenda Kelley, Scott Kelley, Laurie Michaelson, Denise Kelley, Don Kelley andBill Griffin  and their spouses as well as an abundance of grand children ,great grand children and great great grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews.He is also survived by his Brother Mike Kelley and sisters Faith Larson and Colleen Swanson.He is proceeded in death by his parents Howard Kelley and Alice Kelley as well as Brother Roger Kelley and Sisters Patricia  Braaten, Martha Rutter and Rebecca (Becky) DePriest.Born in Montevideo Mn, his family moved to the mighty banks of the Mississippi river where they resided on a house boat and survived the great flood of 1948 near Holman field.Eventually Bill would settle in St Paul Mn and start his business in car detailing.Life was not always easy to navigate for Bill as he blended two families while running a business. However navigate he did and like so many of us, he chartered his course and found his way.Bill was passionate about automotive racing and had a deep passion for dirt track racing in particular.Many weekends were spent at Cedar Lake and Menomonie WI spent cheering on  team Kelley.His hosting of the Daytona party yearly was something many of us looked forward to.Bill will be remembered as someone  different to everybody. He was a jokester, a disciplinarian, a voice of reason, highly competitive and he loved trying new things (although he often needed to be convinced)He loved playing cribbage, pool and was a sneaky good ping pong player.Later in Bill's life he started attending local classic car shows with his family and friends and it was at this point where he purchased a 1957 Chevy pickup in DeWalt yellow that would become one of his more cherished possessions and would also become the iconic  symbol he will always be remembered for along with his humor and pranks.We are all saddened by Bill's passing and would like to gather in his honor to celebrate his life and all of our many memories of this wonderful man.Please join us to bid farewell to Bill on 12-3-2025 at Sandberg Funeral home located at 2593 East 7th Ave North St Paul MN 55109Visitation will begin at 11:00AM and will be followed by a celebration of life at the same location beginning at NoonWe will host a luncheon beginning at 1:30pm at the lower level of The VFW located at 2483 7Th Ave  E North St Paul .We look forward to sharing stories and memories of Bill's life.