died Thursday, January 6, 2011 at St. Mary’s Medical Center Hospice in Duluth. Joe was 60 years old and had only been diagnosed with cancer five days before he died. He was married to Christal Stone Kelahan of Grand Marais and together they were the managers of Harborview Apartments. St. Mary has always been a part of Joe’s life. He was born on October 12, 1950 to Joseph T. and Fannie (Marcheschi) Kelahan at St. Mary’s Hospital in DeKalb, Illinois. He was a member of St. Mary’s Church and attended St. Mary’s School in DeKalb. He died at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. The family will have a final mass and memorial service for him at St. Mary’s Church in DeKalb in April. Joe graduated from DeKalb High School in 1969. He was proud to be a Marine and served in top security in Iceland. He married Christal Stone on November 23, 1974. They lived in DeKalb until 1986 when they moved their family to the Minneapolis suburbs. Joe was in copier sales for 20 years. He retired in 2006 when he and Christal moved to Grand Marais. Joe was well known for his sense of humor and his love of telling jokes. He was always the life of the party and could make anyone laugh. He was an avid and loyal fan of the Chicago Bears and Cubs. His family was very important to him and he loved taking family vacations. His favorite vacations were going home to DeKalb to visit his family and friends. Joe was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Christal; sons Jamie (Heather) of Crystal, MN, Shawn of Minneapolis, and Jacob of Grand Marais; sisters JoAnn Kelahan, Patricia Kelahan and Mary Jane (Richard) Hawbaker all of DeKalb; four nieces, one nephew, three greatnieces and seven great-nephews. Joe will be deeply missed by his loving family, the residents of Harborview Apartments and all of his wonderful friends who will always carry him in their heart. A memorial and celebration of his life will be at the Grand Marais Senior Center on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. There will be a benefit spaghetti feed at the American Legion also on January 22 from 5 to 8 p.m.
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