Russell W. Kelley

Russell W. Kelley, 31, of St. Paul, died Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island, as the result of a motorcycle accident.   Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic in St. Paul. The Revs. Rayappa Konka and Ray Kosmicki will be the celebrants. Burial will be in the Elmwood Cemetery in St. Paul, with graveside military honors conducted by the Nebraska National Guard.   Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church, with a 7 p.m. vigil service.   Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of the arrangements.   Mr. Kelley was born on April 1, 1984, at Sargent, the son of Martin and Kathryn (Tobias) Kelley.   He was united in marriage to Abbie G. Behnk on Feb. 14, 2009, at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul.   He is survived by his wife, Abbie of St. Paul; his children, Gracie, Baylee and Henry Kelley, all at home; father and fiancee', Martin Kelley and Julie Nickel of Elm Creek; mother and step-father, Kathryn and Darrell Yerg of Lexington; three brothers and sisters-in-law, Nick and Melissa Kelley of Hastings, Randy and Deanna Kelley of Lincoln and Craig and Ashley Kelley of North Platte; one sister and brother-in-law, Amanda and Johnny Villalon of Lexington; and his grandparents, Zac and Roberta Tobias and Emily Kelley, all of Sargent.   He is also survived by his in-laws, Helen Behnk of Greeley and Mike Behnk of Greeley; three brothers-in-law and their wives, Shane and Jennifer Behnk of Columbus, Aaron and Patti Behnk of Blair and Austin and Melissa Behnk of Lincoln; grandmother-in-law, Lorraine Bjorklund of Greeley; and numerous nieces and nephews.   As an infant, Russell, moved with his family to Lexington, where he grew up and attended Lexington Public Schools.   In 2002, he joined the Nebraska National Guard and was a member of the 1195th Transportation Company of Kearney. He was deployed to Iraq for two tours of duty and was still serving as a Guardsman at the time of his death.   In April 2007, he and Abbie moved to St. Paul, where they were raising their three children. He had worked for Husker Plumbing in Grand Island for several years and then for Hydro-Tech, also in Grand Island, for five years. Since then he had been employed with Hansen Well Services in Grand Island.   Russell was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan and loved hunting, golfing and riding his motorcycle. He was able to go on several trips to Sturgis and also enjoyed poker runs. Russ was a loving Christian man, with an infectious smile and the ability to make people laugh. He loved playing with his children and attending their activities and sports. If anyone ever needed help, Russ was there to lend a hand. Russ lived life to the fullest and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.   He was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Nebraska National Guard and was also a Patriot Guard Rider.   He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Richard Kelley.   In lieu of floral tributes, memorials are suggested to the family.