Saturday the 8th was to be a 46th birthday bash celebration at The Shanti in Soulard for a man that was a big brother to everyone in Soulard, Kelty O’Brien. By now most have heard of Kelty’s senseless murder last week while on his way to work last Friday morning. Sadly what was supposed to be a joyous occasion turned into a memorial/fund rasier to help cover funeral expenses, and to celebrate Kelty’s life. The place was packed with friends and family sharing tears, hugs, laughter, and lots of memories.
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Kelty O’Brien was the big slugger for The Shanti softball team, not to mention a very big Cardinals, Rams, and Blues fan. He was a great lover of music and often would sit in with the band, Pik’n Lik’n, singing his favorite Rolling Stones songs. Kelty’s brother, Mark, is a St. Louis police officer and active in Guns ‘N Hoses (officer-firefighter advocacy organization – see The BackStoppers website). Saturday’s event was covered by KSDK TV with a live report by Alex Fees.Spacer
Visitation for Kelty will be Tuesday, November 11th, at Kutis Funeral Home on Gravois, from 4-9 p.m. On Wednesday the funeral mass will be at Epiphany of our Lord, with interment at Resurrection Cemetery.
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While I did not know Kelty personally, it was my privilege to photograph the event. Pik’n Lik’n performed, with talent from other groups and close friends of Kelty’s sitting in. My hope is that these pictures warm the hearts of those that have suffered the loss of a family member and good friend.
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Kelty O’Briens Memorial At The Shanti Picture Gallery
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The amateur boxing community, the police department, and many of the unions in St. Louis are going to put on a benefit to help ease the financial burden of the funeral. The benefit will be Thursday night, December 4th, at South Broadway Athletic Club. I’ll update this post as more information becomes available. Information will also be added to Ed Belling’s myspace page:
