a very sad day in Tehachapi - gossip...or facts??? - lauraj's Blog - Tehachapi News

Jun 28, 2008 at 08:06 PM : Oh man.... That's...

Oh man.... That's too bad... I saw his grandson and wife in town yesterday and wondered if he had taken a turn down-hill, as they are not usually in town during the week. I used to work at Kelcy's long ago... He was a great man. I know this has to be hard for the family, but I also know he was not "Kelcy" anymore, and he is now at peace. My thoughts and prayers are with Margie, Kathy, Liz, Helen and all the grandkids! Please keep us posted on details of the service.

Jun 28, 2008 at 08:06 PM : Yes , that is why the...

Yes , that is why the kids were in town...Thank you very much and i will keep you posted:)

Jun 28, 2008 at 08:06 PM : Thank you for posting...

Thank you for posting this. We'll tip a cup of Joe for Kelcy...RIP

Jun 28, 2008 at 09:06 PM : Very sad day for...

Very sad day for Tehachapi. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. If anyone knows when the services are please let me know. I worked in Kelcy's during high school and was a friend and classmate of his grandson Jeff. My middle sister and mother also worked at Kelcy's for a time.

Jun 28, 2008 at 10:06 PM : I always am sad at...

I always am sad at death, and give my sympathies to the family and close friends, ..... but, will Kelcy's Restaurant now become someplace we would like to go to for a meal?

Jun 28, 2008 at 10:06 PM : I am sorry to hear of...

I am sorry to hear of Kelcy's passing........Kelcy will always be synonymous with Tehachapi.................. When I moved to Tehachapi Kelcey was one of the Big Dogs in town and It was a honor to have met him................

I had breakfast at Kelcey's this morning and They still serve the best chicken fried stake in town.........

Thank you Laura for posting this...........

Jun 28, 2008 at 10:06 PM : We have had so many...

We have had so many sad days recently. Thank you for posting this Laura. Kelcy was a a very special man and beloved for his service to this community. I've always enjoyed bringing out-of-town guests there because Kelcy displayed so much of the history that is Tehachapi. For anyone that hasn't been into Kelcy's restaurant this is Tehachapi's 'unofficial' museum. Kelcy was proud of the pictures that had been donated over the years and patrons have always been encouraged to walk around and look at the pictures and memoribilia to get a true sense of Tehachapi's history.

Kelcy left a legacy to Tehachapi with his 'museum' restaurant. We also need to remember his past service as a city councilman and his work at the Monolith Portland Cement Comapany as a union organizer and worked diligently for the benefits of the men under him. His character made him a leader, an organizer, a great city councilman with a tencity for the truth. He was a man without a lot of formal education but he more than made up for that with a dedicated work ethic and an enormous amount of good old fashioned common sense. I know I will truly miss him and his wit.

Laura, please give my deepest condolences to his family and the crew at Kelcy's. And, like PD I will tip a cup of Joe to Kelcy.

Stan Beckham,

City Council

Jun 28, 2008 at 11:06 PM : I'm so sorry to...

I'm so sorry to hear of Kelcy's passing. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Jun 29, 2008 at 02:06 PM : Kelcy was a very fine...

Kelcy was a very fine man, and I had many a conversation with him. I was saddened to read here that he had passed away. Tehachapi lost a remarkable advocate.

Jun 29, 2008 at 03:06 PM : LoriMorales, what kind...

LoriMorales, what kind of asinine remark is that?

Jun 29, 2008 at 03:06 PM : Thank you TK for...

Thank you TK for saying what many of us were thinking................

Jun 29, 2008 at 04:06 PM : Like every other...

Like every other fine restaurant, Kelcys is not just about the food, Lori. It is ambiance, history, service, and the food that creates the total Kelcy's context.

Jun 29, 2008 at 05:06 PM : I am very sad to hear...

I am very sad to hear about Mr. Owens, my thoughts and hopes are with his family.

I enjoy sitting in Kelcy's surrounded by history.

Jun 29, 2008 at 05:06 PM : I could be wrong but I...

I could be wrong but I took Lori's comment as since he is no longer with us it won't be the same to go in and have a meal.

Jun 29, 2008 at 08:06 PM : Kelcy's has the...

Kelcy's has the best biscuits and gravy in town. Since I work close to Kelcy's I've gone their several times for lunch and never disappointed. I love the whole "cafe" feel. And their is one certain waitress there who absolutely LOVES to put Bigdog in his place. He is always very well behaved when we go in for breakfast. I'm sad to see Mr Owens gone. I've met him on several occassions and he was always a very nice man.

Jun 29, 2008 at 08:06 PM : Amen Olivia...I love...

Amen Olivia...I love the bicuits and gravy there (almost as good as my mother's).

And I agree with Colitas, I think all that LoriM meant was there might be changes now that the "original" is gone.

Jun 29, 2008 at 08:06 PM : And when they bring...

And when they bring you milk......IT'S IN A FROSTED ICE GLASS.....I love milk....especially ice cold.

Jun 30, 2008 at 12:06 AM : I'm sorry to hear...

I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Owen's passing. I know he had a place in many peoples hearts. My sympathies go out to his family and all his friends.

Jun 30, 2008 at 05:06 AM : I met Kelcy...

I met Kelcy Owens a few years back. My son, Sam was 9 years old (now 20), he had noticed that Kelcy collected little artifacts from years gone by in a little curio case behind the cash register. Well my husband has several Velvet Tobacco cans from his grandfather (circa 1940 - 50's), Sam thought one would look good in Kelcy's cabinet. So the next time I took Sam to Kelcy's he took one of the cans and as we were sitting at the counter ( still his favorite to sit there) he asked the waitress to give it to Mr. Owens. A few minutes later here comes Kelcy himself and sits next to Sam and thanks him for such a nice gift. Sam was so impressed you would have thought Kelcy was a celebrity!

To this day the can is in the the cabinet with a piece of yellow tape that Kelcy put on it and wrote "From Sam". Thank you Kelcy, for such a wonderful memory. My thoughts are with your family and friends.

In Love & Peace, Annette Kirby

Jun 30, 2008 at 06:06 AM : Hi Annette Kelcey WAS...

Hi Annette

Kelcey WAS a celebrity in our town! And a wonderful representative of what our small town used to be.

We've been going to Kelcey's off and on over the last 20+ years and have always felt welcome.

Our sympathy to his family.

SrMalcontent

Jun 30, 2008 at 07:06 AM : My sincere condolences...

My sincere condolences go out to Kathy and family. The last few times I'd spoken to her, you could see the sadness in her eyes as she described her dad's decline.

My dad, now gone almost four years, surprised me when he decided to have a luncheon at Kelcy's following my mother's memorial service. At the time, I thought it was such a weird choice, but later I realized it was the perfect place since my parents almost always stopped there after a trip into town together. They loved the food and the folks they'd inevitably run into there.

It was hard for me to go into Kelcy's for awhile, especially after my dad passed on just two years later. Now when I stop in, I can't resist studying the pictures and asking a few questions if the old timers are hanging out. The TN's tribute last year to Kelcy's as "Tehachapi's Other Museum" was right on target (Councilman Beckham must have read that same issue). Even though so much of Tehachapi's history is displayed on the walls inside Kelcy's, there's so many more memories and stories that will remain framed in our hearts and treasured for generations. God Bless the Owens family.

Jun 30, 2008 at 11:06 AM : FYI Kelcy's...

FYI Kelcy's services

Reuben Kelcy Owens, 78, Tehachapi, June 28. Visitation 5-7 p.m. June 30, Wood Family Funeral Service Chapel. Funeral service 10 a.m. July 1, St. Malachy Catholic Church. Wood Family Funeral Service.

Jun 30, 2008 at 04:06 PM : lauraj: Thank you for...

lauraj: Thank you for posting this announcement. Living so far away for so long, I did not know that Kelcy had been so ill. I will definitely call my grandma tonight... she will be very sad.

I remember running out the back door of my grandma's store, across the street and the alley, then in the back door of Kelcy's to pick-up lunch for Grandma, my sisters, and me every day during the summers. I always had a BLT on rye, just like Grandma. I go to Kelcy's every time I'm home... it has never changed significantly that I can recall. It is a in that "good memory" box in that special corner of my heart.

My condolences to the Owens' family, and everyone who loved Kelcy.