Kelly Carl Petillo

Born November 13 th , 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Kelly Cavino Petillo and Valentine Hait. Kelly’s father was a delivery driver who became a race car driver and his mother was a housewife who later managed properties. When Kelly was 9 years old, he was thrilled to watch his father win the Indianapolis 500 in 1935. Kelly was 14 years old and excited when his sister, Darlene, was born as he always wanted a sibling. Kelly graduated from Huntington Park High School in 1944. At 18 years of age, Kelly entered the Navy where he served from March 1945 to July 1946. He was stationed in San Francisco on Treasure Island as an Electronics Technician’s Mate 3 rd Class. He received the World War II Victory Medal. Kelly graduated from UCLA in 1950 with his bachelor’s degree and graduated from USC with his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1955. Kelly had a private practice as a dentist in Westchester, California for 35 years. Kelly met Fay on a blind date set up by mutual friends. When Fay offered to help Kelly paint an apartment, Kelly knew he had found “the one”. They were married March 1, 1964 and celebrated their 61 st Wedding Anniversary earlier this year. Kelly and Fay welcomed their daughter, Carla in 1966 and their second daughter, Stacie in 1968. Carla and her husband, Andrew, have three sons: Adam (20), Zachary (17) and Christopher (17). Stacie, and her husband, Jason, have one son, Evan (18). Kelly’s four grandsons enjoyed his generosity and great sense of humor. Kelly was an avid golfer and member of Riviera Country Club for 50 years. He loved snow skiing, water skiing, camping, fishing, hunting, traveling and spending time with his family and friends. Kelly traveled with Fay across the United States, Canada, and Mexico in their motor home bringing their cat, Junior, along for the ride. They often traveled with family and friends as well as made stops along the way to play golf and visit people they knew across the US. Kelly and Fay traveled internationally to every continent and enjoyed meeting people and visiting exotic places. They loved cruises and often traveled with family and friends making each trip memorable. Kelly had a wonderful life which he enjoyed and shared his joy with everyone he met. Kelly is survived by his wife, Fay, daughters Carla (Andrew) Blocher and Stacie (Jason) Fromm, four grandsons, sister Darlene (Floyd) Doty as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Tributes

Kelly Carl Petillo

November 13, 1926 - November 1, 2025