Randell Lee Kelly

Time had a way of getting away from you when you were with Randy. An afternoon stretched into the evening. A quick stop became a long conversation. Somewhere between the music getting louder and the smoke curling through the porch lights, you’d lean back like you had nowhere else to be and hours slipped by before you knew it. Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on February 10, 1958, Randell Lee Kelly, known simply as “Randy” to the people who loved him, had a way of turning strangers into friends and making people stay longer than they meant to. He found joy in places most people never think to look and made ordinary moments feel like enough all by themselves. Many of those moments happened over good tunes and even better conversation. Some of his daughter’s favorite memories are riding through town in Randy’s royal blue Nova SS with classic rock rattling the windows, summer heat pouring through the open car windows, hot vinyl seats sticking to your legs, and Randy grinning while he cranked the volume higher. A proud veteran of the United States Air Force with stories you'll never find in history books, Randy found his life’s work as a barber and was a fixture at King Town Barber Shop for over 20 years. With a remarkable head of hair, easy conversation, and familiar place behind the chair, he made people feel like they belonged the moment they walked through the door. He took great pride in making people feel seen, heard, and welcome. Parents trusted him with countless first haircuts over the years because he understood how much those little milestones mattered and took seriously his role in them. Shy and uncertain faces sat down but got up grinning from ear to ear, having grown up just a little bit while sitting in Randy's chair. He loved NASCAR with the kind of loyalty only true race fans understand, and as far as he was concerned, Dale Earnhardt will always be the greatest there ever was. He loved guitars, Krispy Kreme runs, video games, slaw dogs, fish tanks and koi ponds, Waffle House, and conversations with people from all walks of life. And Carol. He loved his Carol. In the second half of their lives, Randy and Carol (Cook) Kelly built a quieter kind of happiness full of simple joys, backyard projects, good coffee, and animals at every turn. Theirs was the kind of love people search their whole lives to find...steady, simple, and real. After her passing, he remained deeply devoted to the family and life they built together and to his beloved German Shepherds, Brutus and Daisy. Randy was called to his heavenly home on Thursday, May 28th, 2026, after a life lived fully, loudly, and completely as himself. He leaves behind his daughters Elizabeth Bernhardt (Brian), Dawn Hall (Richie Crater), and Nikki McCormick (Rocky); sons Tim Gladden (Donna) and Gary Cook (Angie); siblings Michael Kelly (Rhonda), Penny Pettit (Joel), and Donna Bogardus (Kevin); grandchildren Helena and Ruby Koski, Vivian and Olive Bernhardt, Samantha Hall (Chris Koehn), Heather Hall (Drew Lusk), Katie Elkins, Drake and Sierra Robertson, Ben and Ava McCormick, Zack Cook (Samantha), Jasmine Lowder (Bryce), Hannah Cook, and Leah Cook; beloved extended family members; and more friends than anybody could reasonably count. He now joins his parents, Phyllis Gail (Warden) Miller (Burley) and David Lee Kelly (Gloria); his grandparents Viola T Warden and Calvin Kelly (Cora); his brother Jeffrey William Kelly; and the love of his life, Carol. While some may measure legacy by bank account balances and lifetime achievement awards, Randy built his in smaller, quieter ways. In barbershop conversations; in front porch guitar pickin'; in good music turned up way too loud; in ordinary moments turned into beautiful memories that people will carry for the rest of their lives, just as we will carry his for the rest of ours. We find a certain comfort knowing he's out there somewhere yelling "Turn it up!" while his eyes gently squeeze closed in deep appreciation .... for the song, for the moment, for this life. Rest easy, buddy. We’ll catch you next time. The family will receive friends Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 1pm at Hayworth-Miller Rural Hall Chapel (305 Bethania-Rural Hall Rd, Rural Hall, NC 27045), with services to follow at 2pm. Military honors will then be held graveside at Crestview Memorial Park, 6850 University Parkway in Rural Hall.