Letha “Gwen” (Ferguson) Kelly

Letha Gwendolyn “Gwen” Kelly passed away on December 1, 2022, in Kokomo, Indiana.  She was born to Judson Ulysses and Dora Ann (York) Ferguson on June 9, 1934, in Cumberland County, Kentucky.  Her father passed away in 1935 and her mother then married Joe B. Ferguson.  Joe was a kind father to Gwen.  He family moved to Clinton County, Indiana, in 1948.  On July 23, 1950, she married Russell Wayne “Short” Kelly in Kirklin.  He preceded her in death on January 23, 2013.

Gwen attended schools in Cumberland County, Kentucky, and in Michigantown and received her GED in 1986.  She worked for The Hut, Jules Simon, The Michigan Town House, Unilectric, Clinton Central Schools, The Farmer’s Bank, and retired from Purdue University.  Her greatest joy after her family was sewing.  She got her first sewing machine after getting married, and the rest is history.  She has sewn for all of her family along with sewing and mending clothing for so many others.  One of her greatest pleasures was to sew dresses for disadvantaged girls in Haiti and Appalachia.  She made hundreds of children’s blankets and hundreds of lap blankets for the elderly in nursing homes.  She also sewed her husband’s hospice gowns as a final tribute.  This act of love inspired the regional sewing project “In Stitches with Deb.”

She was a member of the Michigantown United Methodist Church for over 60 years.  She loved her church and community and had a servant’s heart.  She collected donations of used clothing, household items, toys, etc., from the community and gave these items away at the Michigantown Food Bank for several years.  It was dear to her heart since she grew up in a time with very little.

Gwen is survived by her son, Max Kelly; daughter, Brenda (Andy) Robertson; grandchildren, Jessica (Benjamin) Meyer, Will (Ashley) Robertson, and Daniel Robertson; great-grandson, Lennon Robertson; sisters, Nadine Kressley, Stella (Floyd) Simpson, and Doris Ferguson; brother, Dewey (Pat) Ferguson; and many nieces and nephews.  The family would like to thank the caring staff of the Legacy Building at Waterford Health Campus for all of their love and devotion to Gwen.

Along with her husband she was preceded in death by her parents and stepfather; brothers, J.B. Ferguson, Lester Ferguson, Stanley Ferguson, and Webb Ferguson; and sisters, Magdelene Thacker and Linda Ferguson.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, December 6, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. until the time of service at 3:00 p.m. at Genda Funeral Home in Frankfort.  The Rev. Mike Flowers will officiate.  Burial will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.  Memorial contributions may be made in Gwen’s honor to the St. Paul Cemetery Association or the Alzheimer’s Association.