Terrance Robert Kelly

Our loving husband, father, son, brother, grandpa, friend and attorney Terry Kelly entered eternal life on February 15, 2025, at the age of 81. 

Terry joins his devoted parents, Bill and Lucille Kelly; his brothers, Eugene and David Kelly; and sister, Martha Kelly Foltz. He was born August 15, 1943, and raised in Decorah, Iowa, where he attended St. Benedict’s Elementary School and then St. Francis De Sales High School in nearby Ossian, where he played basketball and baseball. In 1965, he earned his bachelor's degree in English at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he was on the debate team and president of his senior class. At Notre Dame Law School, he was one of the founders of the university’s Legal Aid Clinic and graduated in 1968.

He met his wife, Alice Steffens Kelly, in Dubuque and they married in July, 1966. Following law school, Terry earned a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to Portland, Oregon, to begin his career as a legal aid attorney. He and Alice then moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1969, where Terry worked for Denver Legal Aid before starting his own law practice in 1972. His work as a civil litigator focused on family law, employment law and constitutional law, and the law firm grew into Kelly/Haglund/Garnsey & Kahn. In the early 1980s, they partnered with several other law firms to renovate a warehouse at 18th & Blake Street into offices, and were early pioneers in the rebirth of Lower Downtown. 

Terry was a terrific father to Beth, Ben and Luke, coaching soccer teams and sharing a passion for baseball (his all-time favorite player was Jackie Robinson), reading and travel. He and Alice were regulars at the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. They took care of all of their grandchildren every Wednesday from their earliest weeks through their grade school years. He was also an unconventional cook. 

He was deeply involved in his Denver community. Terry was appointed by the Colorado Supreme Court to the Grievance Committee, was chair of the Family Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association, and served on the board of directors of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. He was an active parishioner for fifty-plus years at Cure d’Ars Catholic Community, serving on Parish Council, Social Justice Committee, and as a eucharistic minister and lector. In the 1980s, he served on a committee that represented Greater Park Hill neighborhood interests on noise mitigation issues with the airlines and the City. His pro bono legal services over his career supported family, neighbors and his community. 

We remember his sharp wit and endless generosity. He loved mentoring young attorneys, and he shared his time — and many reading recommendations — to friends, neighbors and loved ones. 

He is survived by his wife, Alice; his daughter and son-in-law Beth and Rogelio Corona; his son Ben and daughter-in-law, Kate Kelly; and his son and daughter-in-law Luke and Jane Kelly, who all reside in the Denver area. Terry is also survived by his seven grandchildren: Diego and Rose Corona; Allie, Jake and Meghan Kelly; and Ava and Will Kelly. He is also fondly remembered as a wonderful uncle for many Kelly and Steffens nieces and nephews.

 Memorial donations on Terry’s behalf may be made to the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado, Denver League of Women Voters, and Denver Public Library Friends Foundation.