In honor of former state Senator John Kelly, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder ordered United States and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex to be lowered to half-staff on Monday, Sept. 24.
Kelly suffered a fatal heart attack Sept. 16. He was 69 years old.
"John was a caring man who brought high energy to everything he did,” Snyder said in a press release. “He had a strong passion for Michigan and was a leader in the fight for the revitalization of Detroit. Sue and I send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
Kelly served four consecutive terms in the Michigan Senate beginning in 1978. He was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, a defense attaché in South Africa, and a liaison to the Detroit FBI. Additionally, he spent more than 30 years teaching at the university level in various Michigan colleges and at the National Defense University.
A service will be held in his honor Monday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m.at Pier Park, located at 350 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms.