Charlie Kelly

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Charlie Kelly, a very important member of the Oberholtzer Foundation community.

No one loved Mallard Island more than Charlie Kelly, and that says a lot. Charles A. Kelly passed away yesterday, August 10th. Charlie followed in his father’s footsteps as a friend and staunch supporter of Ernest Oberholtzer’s work and island life, and he stepped into a career in estate law in part because of the experience of organizing the legal effort after Ober’s death. They were good friends— Ober and Charlie— and corresponded during the last decades of Ober’s life. Charlie was then the second Foundation board president, stepping up after the death of Hugh Monahan in 1980. He served in many roles with the organization, most of them concerned with the archives or the investments and financial health of the organization.

In recent years, he and his wife Jean E. were repeatedly dinner hosts to the foundation’s board at their summer home in Ranier. They were constant supporters of the many volunteers and diverse programs that happen on Mallard Island. Jean E. Kelly’s son, George Glazier, now serves as the Foundation’s board president.