Frances (Gresh) Kelmelis

Torrington- Frances Kelmelis, 78, passed away Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at Valerie Manor, Torrington. She was the beloved wife of the late Stanley W. Kelmelis.

        Mrs. Kelmelis was born in Hartford on September 28, 1943, daughter of the late Edward and Mary (Bombara) Gresh, and had been a Torrington resident most of her life. Fran was a retired Parish Secretary at the former Sacred Heart Church, Torrington, retiring with 29 years of service. She had been an active communicant of St. John Paul the Great Parish, Torrington, and a former member of the Sacred Heart Church Altar Society. She enjoyed summer vacations on Cape Cod, gardening, sewing, cooking, the outdoors, and Sunday rides. Her granddaughters were particularly fond of their sleepovers. Watching The Wizard of Oz and drawing many pictures for Grandma which were proudly hung on every inch of her refrigerator.

        Survivors include a son, Brian E. Kelmelis of Torrington; a daughter, Anne Marie Solak and her husband, Tony, of Charlotte, NC; two granddaughters, Kaitlyn Solak and Jena Solak; a brother, William Gresh and his wife, Elizabeth, of Lilburn, GA; and several nieces and nephews.

        Funeral services will be held Monday, November 22, 2021, at 10:00a.m. from Gleeson-Ryan Funeral Home, 258 Prospect St., Torrington, to St. Francis of Assisi Church, 160 Main St., Torrington, for a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00a.m. Burial will follow in Hillside Cemetery, Torrington. Friends may call Sunday, November 21, 2021, from 3:00 to 5:00p.m. at Gleeson-Ryan Funeral Home.

        At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489 or St. John Paul the Great Parish, 160 Main St., Torrington, CT 06790.

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