Paul William Kelly

Paul William Kelly August 9, 1966 – October 8, 2022 Lexington, South Carolina – Paul William Kelly, 56, of Lexington, passed away suddenly yet peacefully on Saturday, October 8, 2022. Born on August 9, 1966, he will always be remembered as a kind, loving, and inspirational son, brother, uncle, and friend. Paul was born in Manhasset, New York, and moved with his parents, Kathleen Kennedy Kelly and Donnie Carroll Kelly, to Lugoff, South Carolina; Glasgow, Scotland; Oak Grove, South Carolina; before, as an adult, settling in Lexington, South Carolina. Paul played soccer and football as a child at Pineview, and he went on to play soccer for Lexington High School, where he graduated in 1984. He enjoyed coaching youth soccer, and he continued to play for many years in several adult leagues in Irmo and Lexington. In addition to playing soccer, he was an avid Celtic FC fan, often setting his entire schedule around watching them play, which wasn’t always easy because of the time difference in the United Kingdom. He also enjoyed watching Clemson and the Pittsburgh Steelers play football and the New York Mets play baseball. Another passion of his was music. From Johnny Cash to Metallica, he loved listening to music and attending concerts. And it must be noted that Paul was an encyclopedic source of random trivia about sports, history, politics, and television shows and commercials. He was the go-to person for everyone in his family and friend circle when they needed to remember a song title, TV jingle, or sports matchup from years ago. Paul’s life was filled with ups and downs like everyone else’s, but he never let on that there was anything amiss. He was always friendly to everyone, would lend a hand to anyone, and was just plain fun to be around. Despite the challenges that were thrown at him, he always rose above and looked for the positive in every situation. With an “It is what it is” attitude, he tackled everything life threw at him. When he was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis in 2004 and found himself suddenly legally blind, he faced it with grace and dignity, never wanting sympathy or attention called to himself. While others would have crumbled into a pity party, he didn’t. He learned how to cope with his situation and made the best of it knowing that his sight would never improve and even facing the fact that it was continuing to decline in the last few years. Paul’s life had other adversities, but in 2009, he made a decision that would forever change his life for the better. Paul faced a longtime demon, and on November 16, 2009, he picked up his white chip. The days and weeks that followed were hard, but he never wavered. On January 17, 2010, he walked into the New Hope “Gratitude Meeting,” and he knew he had found his home and that he was going to be okay. Every Sunday since that day, he looked forward to meeting and seeing his friends—friends who all became his “Sunday Family.” Paul left this world knowing that he was loved and cared for by his family and friends. His heart was filled with the love he had for all of them as well. He truly was a bright spot in every room he entered, and he was and continues to be an inspiration to everyone that had the privilege of knowing him. Paul is survived by his mother and father, Kathleen K. Kelly and Donnie C. Kelly, his siblings, dear friends, and many family members: Sean and Cassie Kelly; Wayne Kelly; Michael Kelly; Andrew and Sabrina Lindemann; Bob Mondo, Ernie Dotson and Merv Gillespy; Mrs. Barbara McDaniel; Bert, Holly, Rebecca, and Riley McDaniel; Brad, Tiffany, Autumn, Tanner, and Connor Ballington; Keith, Lynette, Jesse, and Jacob Ballington; Chad Johnson, Rumsey Hakim, Jeff Fogle; his Kelly and Carroll families here in South Carolina; and his Kennedy and Morlotti families in Scotland. In addition, he is survived by his nieces and nephews: Abby and Chris Augustine, Michael Lindemann, Hailey Kelly, Sutton Kelly, Cara Kelly and Aiden Kelly. He enjoyed every minute of being “Uncle Paul” and relished the fact that he was everyone’s favorite uncle! A Celebration of Paul’s life will be held on November 16, 2022, at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home Chapel on Bush River Road. Visitation will be at 3:00 and the service will follow at 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please give to a charity of your choice.