Rev. Cleveland W. ‘Cleve’ Kelm, 89, Florida

The Rev. Cleveland W. “Cleve” Kelm, 89, of St. Augustine, Fla., died on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, at Ponce de Leon Care Center in St. Augustine, Fla.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Miller Funeral Home in Vandalia, with the family officiating. Burial will be in Union Cemetery, with military rites accorded by Crawford-Hale American Legion Post No. 95 of Vandalia. Memorials: Haven Hospice, 6400 St. Johns Ave., Palatka, Fla., 32117.

Rev. Kelm was born on Sept. 13, 1919, in Decatur, the son of Hugh D. and Mabel Chapman Kelm. He married Helen Mae Pummill on March 7, 1942; she died on July 3, 2001.

He was ordained into the ministry on Oct. 20, 1963, and served as pastor to Mill Creek Missionary Baptist Church in St. Augustine, Fla., and Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Terre Haute, Ind. He served in the Army from Sept. 24, 1942-Aug. 8, 1945. He served in the East Indies, New Guinea and the Luzon, and his service decorations included four Overseas Service Bars, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with three Bronze Battle Stars and Phillipines Liberation Ribbon with a Bronze Battle Star.

He is survived by a daughter, Susan Kelm Chitwood of St. Augustine, Fla.; stepchildren, Bessie Joan Kelm of Englewood, Fla., James McMahon of Highland, Mo., and Gary McMahon of Bainbridge, Ind.; grandchildren, Stacy Pate-Kirkwood, Marcy Pate-Terrel, Erin Cook and Karin Cook; 10 stepgranchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and 21 great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, wife and a stepson, Michael McMahon.