Judge Kelly Remembered As Tough, Fair At Funeral

Marcus Kelly wanted only to be remembered as fair.

Nearly 300 people did just that Friday, during a funeral service for the former Spokane County Superior Court judge.

Kelly, 65, died last week after battling cancer for several years. He served 21 years on the bench, earning a reputation as a tough jurist before retiring late last year.

While Kelly’s harsh sentences were popular with the public, he made each decision individually, his daughter said.

“He never focused on what was politically correct but what he felt was fair and just,” Karen Kelly said during the service at St. Augustine Catholic Church on the South Hill.

“He would come home and he would read, sit quietly and pace,” she said. “We knew he was making another serious decision.”

Born and raised in Spokane, Kelly attended Gonzaga Prep and Gonzaga University, graduating from GU law school in 1957 after a two-year hitch in the Army.

The father of five began his career as an assistant attorney general, then went into private practice for 12 years.

His late father, Raymond Kelly, logged four decades as a justice of the peace and judge before retiring in 1973.

The following spring, Marcus Kelly was sworn in as a court commissioner and the tradition continued. He was appointed judge in the summer of 1979.

They were the only father-son judging duo in the history of Spokane County.

Trying to fill his father’s near-legendary shoes proved to be a challenge for the young judge, said Karen Kelly, a former KXLY-TV anchorwoman.

“He was always proud of following his father’s legacy but he also left his own imprint.”

She said her father loved his job and the people he worked with, especially the “mental jousting” with attorneys. He was known for his dry wit and “incredibly ridiculous puns.”

A dozen judges, including at least eight former colleagues, served as pallbearers, flanking the flag-draped casket outside the church.

They regarded him fondly, along with prosecutors, defense lawyers and hundreds of other friends and relatives.

“He was not a demonstrative person, but he had a warmth about him,” Karen Kelly said. “It came from his heart.”

, DataTimes