Freddy and Rozie Kelly are very sad to inform you that, on April 27th, our lovely dad, Bill, died after a short stay in hospital.
Please join us to honour his memory by leaving reflections and memories on this website. We are really keen for this to be a happy, celebratory space, so any funny or silly memories you have of Bill’s shenanigans would be wonderful.
We would love it if people could also email any photos they may have to pictures@wfmkelly.co.uk and pass on these details to all those who knew Dad. When current restrictions are lifted, we will throw a proper celebration of Bill’s life with you all and many drinks will be raised in his memory, but, for the moment, this will help a lot. We are hoping this can be a place for us to become connected with those he has made smile from all corners of his life. Thank you.
53 entries.
I remember a trip to Strasbourg with Bill, it was the summer of 1993 I think. I assume that I was there to negotiate a contract but strangely I have no memory of any discussions with the client. My only memory is dinner in lovely restaurant that Bill had chosen. He certainly had a fine nose for that sort of thing ... and for choosing excellent wine. The trip was short but my memory of an evening spent with Bill is sweet.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Bill. Within an empty restaurant in Crowne Plaza Heathrow he sat at a four top all suited up. I have no idea what I was wearing but it wasn’t a suit nor did it include a tie. Point to Bill.
He began the interview. A little surprising since I had been under the impression I was to interview him. He asked why I applied for the position and the value I believed I could contribute. My awkward silence, that I hoped but most certainly did not pass for thoughtful reflection, eventually gave way to a series of equally unintelligible and incomprehensible utterances broadly touching on the topics of my studies at the LSE, Voice over IP, and a skepticism of Nasser Hussain batting third. I knew nothing of rugby. Second point to Bill.
Finally, there was the mustache. My goodness such a glorious, expertly groomed feature of sophistication, grace and wisdom! Clearly what sat before me was a gentleman who had seen and conquered the world. Game Kelly. I left the dining area defeated, exhausted and hired. I had no idea how lucky I was.
Bill was a great kind and caring man! I Freddy was one of my best friends at school and we would often hang out and it would always seem like we was off to a summer camp or something when Bill would pick us up and we would go to his, we felt like kings being chauffeured in his big 7 series BMW, Fred idolised him and I can understand why he was a incredible man and was always great to be around!
I miss having to say goodbye about six times before he would hang up the phone. I miss his stupid jokes. I miss being called Rosebuddy. I miss the monthly 'white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits' email, and replying 'back atcha'.
I'm very sorry to hear this and condolences to all the family.
I vividly remember both Bill and Mary whilst at Prime Computer in the early '80s at Feltham. Bill was in John Priestley's group selling successfully to Government. I also recall the kickoff in Scotland mentioned by Maggie Atkins.
After Bill and Mary moved on, and John Priestley took over a larger group, I too reported to him and later had a great time responsible for various southern and eastern European countries which lead to several pro-Club trips and enjoying working with Ken Murphy, Malcolm Padina, Arthur Haines and others.
I recall Bill as a professional (as were the others mentioned, and Prime in general), and very sorry to hear of his passing. Paul
Bill (airmiles Bill, jet-set Bill, the Desmond Lynam look-alike) and I worked together in the mid 90’s at Octel. He was on my team, so we talked a lot. Bill worked the multinational accounts - if we spoke by phone, the first thing he did was tell me where he was (he had a reputation for that). The posh dinner he’d had with customers would soon follow.
Bill was ‘old school’, a proper gentleman, always smartly turned out.
It was fun to watch how he took care of Halim, who has posted earlier, and how that relationship was mutually beneficial – what one colleague described as 4-legged sales calls, providing lots of mentoring for Halim and lots of assurance and support for Bill. A luxury even then, but Bill charmed me into keeping that going.
We always had a laugh, frequently trying to out-pun each other. His wit was infectious.
I remember he was immensely proud of Freddie and Rozie - you always came up in conversation.
He loved the finer things in life, and always kept his smile and sense of humour.
Reminiscing the other day with another colleague, Andy Seager, he reminded me of when the three of us drove to the bacon sarnie van on the A30 up from the office one lunchtime, Bill took one look at the ‘facility’ and asked the man in the van if there was a Business Class Section - with that wry grin that attended his witticisms.
I really appreciate having known Bill and having worked closely with him for the time we did. Rest in business-class peace, Bill.
I have met Bill WFK as I use to call him and then very soon after Sir Kelly, as a young lad at 25 years old. Early in my career he became a mentor and a dear dear friend. I heard so many great stories of his home, his kids, his past and we built our future together.
He taught me many things I still use today. We did travel so much together across the world, built great deals and spent much time dining, working hard, trying wines and comparing english and french style.
The first time I saw him, he visited our office in Paris and introduced himself. Well that was a shock. The man in front of me had rushed out one of my English books and audio cassettes (yeah back then in class in Paris....)
That was the first time I met an English gentleman par excellence. Stripe suit to perfection, impeccable shirt, great combed hairs, cufflinks, shiny shoes, perfect manners and a great command of English language. I was in awe. I jumped on his team like no time and became his sidekick. I have so many stories and memories to share but I’ll leave you with this one.
In 1997, after much hard work in Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris, I was driving Bill to Charles De Gaulle airport. We were late and there was an imperative he took this flight home to be on time for Freddy and Rozie. Back then Bill and I were happy fews owning big fat Nokia phones. As I was driving like a lunatic, I did call British Airways desk at the airport and they patched me through the gate: I told the boarding gate staffer I was driving Sir William Frederik Kelly to the airport and he had an important meeting at the City Hall the Parliament and the like and they had to hold the plane 15mn. The staffer immediately agreed and gave me directions to drop Bill at the gate. Bill was absolutely proud of me and I was even more. As he sat on his business class seat he rang me and said something like: « Thank you young squire, I will be on time for the parlementary session. »
As I drove back home, I was so proud to serve my friend and allow him to be on time. It was heroic as I think about it and was even more proud when Bill was telling this story and no one would believe him. Because it is unbelievable. Every one I tell the story since ‘97 laughs at me.
Because Sir Kelly was such an exceptional man, such a character, these adventures can only happen to him.
Salut mon ami, tu me manques
Halim
In more recent years I’d meet dad for lunch at the Pump Room Tearooms in Leamington. He would go next door for his haircut and moustache trim from the lovely Kim, who’d been cutting his hair for about 33 years. When they finished we’d drink milky coffees, he always had a tuna mayonnaise sandwich on white bread and he gave me all his crisps. He encouraged me to have cake like he was a naughty child, and always drove me home ‘just to have five more minutes with me’.
The memories coming back to me, I would add to my previous testimony the pleasure that we had, Bill and I, in smoking good cigars during our meetings. The first time I met him, I understood what a British gentleman was, before I had only a vague idea. I used to call him Sir Kelly, he liked it a lot ... It was Bill ...
I remember one Easter bank holiday at my tiny cottage in Oxfordshire. There were four or five little little cottages in the row and it was the first fine day of the year. Little by little the neighbours came out to wash cars and suchlike. Bill came out with wine and soon the car washing was all forgotten and it was late in the evening before the party broke up.
My most happy days were those waking to the theme music of John Peel's Home Truths and the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs. I would slowly get up knowing there was no school that day and dad was waiting arms open in the kitchen.
When I was much younger dad and I had a secret codename "robot wars" to mean I would call him once I got into bed for a chat before going to sleep. We did this almost daily for several years - not sure while we felt the need to have a codeword but hey ho!
When we lived at Rose Cottage we had a driveway by the garage where we used to wait in the car until it was time to leave. If dad was driving (probably when we were already late for something) he would wait until mum tried to get in the front seat and drive a little bit forward... then he’d say sorry and promise not to do it again, but what do you know... he did. He’d do this three or four times in a row, always promising to stop. It used to make her incandescent with irritation but I remember laughing so hard that my stomach hurt, and being very impressed that he was brave enough to mess with her. He did it to me a few times when I got older too.
Hey Bill..!! As you depart from this realm to the next, just to let you know I enjoyed our working life together at Octel. I never saw you with an angry face and your smile was infectious. Always willing to put yourself out to help others, including me, it was my honour to have known you. I just hope when it is my time to go that there will be others like you and including you to vouch for me on the other side... Safe journey old friend.
When we were kids, and out in the car, if we happened to drive past a Waitrose supermarket dad would yell WAITROSE! And then wouldn’t let me talk again until we could no longer see the sign. I miss his silly jokes so much.
Bill was my father in law, or FIL as I called him. But to my friends he was ‘Facebook Famous Bill Kelly’.
Back in the day he was part of the xfactor club we had on a Saturday night.
He was the person to comment on my most inappropriate posts.
He flirted with my friends, and become fb friends with a few!
He was funny. Mainly in a dad joke cringey way. But he was very very funny.
‘Nurse?!’ 🤣🤣
He was so proud of all his kids.
And loved following the adventures of his grandchildren Charlotte and Reuben online.
He made me smile often. And made me laugh intermittently (🤣😜😘) And I will miss him.
Bill was a real treat to work with. I worked with him at Prime in the late 70’s, early 80’s and is still my benchmark of a great salesman. Many great stories and many even better memories. He had a way of bending the rules in such a way that nobody could possibly object.
I worked at Octel for several years at the same time as Bill. Whilst we would say hello in passing, we worked in different groups and so our paths never truly crossed. It was then a couple of years after I left Octel that I found myself in Heathrow airport early one morning. I was just getting a coffee when I looked up and saw this smiling face and outstretched hand coming towards me. It was Bill. He welcomed me like a dear friend and I think we both nearly missed our separate flights that morning as we chatted away. His passing is a sad loss.
Very sad to hear the news, a real old school gentleman to his friends. He seemed to have a knack for knowing when I was on the M40 between Down South and Manchester...so many times we met up at a country pub or at the Hilton off J15...happy days and memories, rest well Bill
He was my brother, my best friend and I cannot imagine life without him