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Light a Candle
Kelly Geehan Green, born July 6, 1943 in Hawthorne, California, was an historian, an educator, an entrepreneur, a wine-seller and an artist who shared the best years of his life with his beloved wife, Rhea. He was quick to laughter and to anger, a passionate soul who cared deeply about the environment, gender equality, human rights and politics. A descendant of Irish kings and peasants, Kelly often reminded his four children that they were borne of two warrior races, the Celts and the Haudenosaunee.
After graduating from the University of California, Long Beach, Kelly spent the late 1960s traveling the world, living on a kibbutz in Israel and working as a stunt man in Crete. He returned to LA, intent on saving enough money to teach in New York City’s “ghetto” schools. On his way, he stopped in Toronto, Ontario to reunite with Canadian friends he’d met on his European travels and got a summer job working at a day camp for inner-city kids. That’s where he met Rhea Lickers, his future wife.
Kelly never made it to NYC. He became a Canadian citizen and lived the rest of his life in Southern Ontario, a place he always referred to as “God’s country.”
He married Rhea on July 10, 1971 and spent 17 years working in Etobicoke elementary schools before retiring from teaching and dedicating himself fulltime to the business they started together, Canadian Antiques & Art. By then, they’d moved their family to the Georgian Bay area, living in Stayner, Collingwood and Thornbury.Kelly and Rhea worked to promote “rising star” artists, most of them First Nations artists, and for many summers, they hosted their carver friend, Don McLeay (1940-2012), whose totem poles and other works are still in art collections across the region.
After closing their art and antique business due to the 1990s recession, Kelly and Rhea moved to Kitchener-Waterloo, where they operated a winery for several years. Later, Kelly became a full-time carver, sculptor and painter who incorporated ancient Celtic symbols into his artwork at the same time Rhea began beading and making dream catchers reflective of her own Haudenosaunee heritage. They were a notable, creative duo who sold their artwork at the St. Jacob’s Farmers Market until the coronavirus pandemic hit in spring 2020.
Kelly was always grateful for surviving prostate cancer for over 10 1/2 years. This allowed him to know and love his four grandchildren and for his grandchildren to know and love him. His cancer returned and metastasized soon after the novel coronavirus swept the planet. He died peacefully on Jan. 6th 2021.
In addition to his wife Rhea, Kelly is survived by his children Eoghan Green (and Judy) of Waterloo; Sara Jean Green of Seattle, Washington; Ruth Koleszar-Green of Toronto; and Mariah Head (and Paul) of Kitchener; and his grandchildren, Dathan, Gannon, Elijah and Ani. Preceded in death by his brother Danny Green, Kelly is survived by his sister-in-law Mary Green of Hawthorne, California; Danny and Mary's three children and two grandchildren, who have always been important to him. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Sigrid Kneve of Toronto; and Susie Gullins of Wasaga Beach; his brother-in-law Henry Lickers (and Bev) of Cornwall; and their children and grandchildren. Kelly loves you all and looks forward to meeting you all in "The Great Unknown."
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Kelly's memory to The Food Bank of Waterloo Region or the Daily Bread Food Bank of Toronto.
Kelly edited and approved his obituary
