Michael Cliff Kellett

On Friday, August 19, 2022, Michael Cliff Kellett, loving husband and father of four children, passed away at the age of 80 after a long illness. He is survived by Marlene Kellett, his wife of 46 years, and his children, Bruce Kellett, Camille Kellett, Sarah Kellett, and Gregg Kellett, his siblings, Karen Sturgis (Richard), and Dr. Richard Kellett (Heidi). He is also survived by his granddaughters, Iris Taylor and Poppy Taylor, brother-in-law, Robert Servatius, as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews. Michael was previously married to Elizabeth Burton Kellett. Michael was born in 1942 and raised in the Bronx in New York City. His parents were Milton Kellett, a NYPD Police Sergeant, and Estelle Kellett, a legal secretary. In New York in the 40s and 50s, baseball was everything, and Michael, a die-hard Yankees fan, actually memorized the statistics of every Yankees player. Although baseball was his first love, he grew to over 6’4, was muscular, and became a star high school basketball player in the highly competitive New York City league. His coach said of him “he was a good scorer and a dominating rebounder. He was the kind of a player who was at his best when things were tough - - a real fighter.” After high school, Michael played college basketball for New Paltz State University and held every school rebounding record when he graduated. Michael’s love of sports and fitness continued into adulthood. He taught tennis classes as a side-gig and amassed a wall full of trophies from local tennis tournaments. He was a regular at the local gym where he competed in basketball leagues and tennis until his late forties. After earning a master’s degree in educational psychology, Michael founded an adult education company that included a variety of courses. He hired and trained teachers, wrote textbooks, including a Memory and Concentration book, and occasionally taught classes himself. On the first day of a Memory class, Michael could ask 25 or so students to say their first names. He then had them take another seat of their choice and told each student their name without making a mistake. Michael went on to write children’s story books, and books on politics and current events. He published a total of 8 books and wrote several newspaper op-eds. His experience in book publishing eventually led him to start a printing company. Examples of their work included college catalogs, maps, brochures, handbooks/manuals, etc. In the late-90s, Michael was an early investor and contributor to NewsMax, a media organization that today reaches more than 40 million Americans monthly. While his wife Marlene collaborated with him on all of his ventures, in later years they worked especially closely on investing in and renting Poconos vacation homes. Michael’s work in business depended on ongoing relationships with partners where trust and reciprocity were essential. He was very honest and incapable of spin, deception, or expressing an opinion he did not truly believe. Outside of work, he spent most of his time with his family. At the dinner table every night, he was interested in what everyone was doing and almost always positive, optimistic, and encouraging. Around the house, he was always up for fun and games. When his kids were young he could be found playing hide and seek, or getting on the floor to play with blocks or board games. As the kids got older he would play sports, cards, etc. where he would usually let the kids win unless their heads got too big. With Marlene - bowling, Scrabble, and Boggle were their favorites. Extended family was also important and he would often organize get-togethers, and attempt to repair the relationships of others Michael was all about having fun, and other parents in the neighborhood would often remark about how much their kids enjoyed going to the Kellett’s house. Whether he was at a birthday party going against a dozen six-year-olds at the same time in arm wrestling, or going on all of the rides with his older kids and their friends at an amusement park, he always found a way to make it fun. Later on, the Kellett’s family room became the gathering spot for his son’s high school and college-age friends to watch sporting events. Although he was in his late 50s, his sense of humor, and easy-going and laid-back nature made him fit in as one of the guys. Michael was creative, unorthodox, and thought outside the box. This could be seen in his professional ventures, but also in his everyday life whether he was inventing a faster way to play Monopoly, or an unconventional workout routine. The neighborhood kids called him “Chef” and were always curious to see what new food concoction he had prepared. They were often very unique. A memorial get-together will be planned to celebrate Michael’s life.

Michael Cliff Kellett

February 28, 1942 - August 19, 2022