Adam Madison O'Kelley

Adam Madison O’Kelley (Mickey) went to be with the Lord on March 4, 2024 after a short illness. Mickey was a wonderful, talented man who had done great things in his life, a man who truly gave meaning to the phrase “pulling himself up by his bootstraps.” After surviving a horrific childhood because of his mother’s resentment towards him, he graduated from Murphy High School and then after being transferred from Atlanta to DC by the IRS, he received a BS degree from American University in Washington, DC. This degree was completed after all three of his children were born and he was working full time for the federal Government.Mickey was a man of many passions, one of which was heading up a prison ministry while living in Maryland where he and others would go into the prison, a chaplain would give a sermon and then the prisoners were encouraged to do a singalong of hymns. And Mickey was quite a singer. From the time I first knew him he was in a gospel quartet which sang at different churches or wherever they were asked to sing. This continued for most of his life. He sang tenor in many church choirs including Smoke Rise Baptist.We met when I was 15 at our home church, Park Avenue Baptist, and dated when I was 16 and 17. After reconnecting after my late husband Tommy passed away, we married in 2000. We had almost 24 years together which I am so grateful. And Mickey had said they were the best years of his life.Mickey is survived by his loving wife Susan; and his three children, daughters, Jeanne O’Kelley (Joe Sampson), and Shirley O’Kelley; son, Ashley O’Kelley; bonus children, Scott Barr (Jennifer) and Lauri Sandhagen (Robby); precious grandchild, Sydney Jackson (daughter of Jeanne and Joe, wife of Kevin); Sara Beth Nowviskie (Parker), Kate Barr, Caroline Sandhagen, Susanna Barr, Thomas Barr, Rhett Sandhagen, Tyceana Reid, and Lauren O’Kelley; other survivors include Rebecca O’Kelley Edmonds (mother of his three children, Ronald Wilson (nephew) and Jean Wilson (niece).A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until the time of service at the church. No flowers, but at your discretion, contributions could be made to Bridgeway Hospice, 200 Riverside Parkway, Lawrenceville Ga or the Tunnels to Towers Foundation at Donate to Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org) .Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, A Family Company, 3705 Highway 78 West, Snellville, Georgia 30039 (770-979-3200) has been entrusted with the arrangements.Read Obituary