Kelly Jones

**Kellaigh "Kelly" Jones** (1896 - 2003, aged 107), was Irish immigrant in America, and boxer player, and secret lover of Maraiah De la Uziel and birth father of Jonatás "Jonah" De la Uziel.

## Biographical Information

### Occupation

WWI Soldier (in 1917 - 1918)
Boxer

## Relationship

### Relatives

Jonatás "Jojo" De la Uziel (illegitimate son, with Mariah De La Uziel)

## Etymology

* "**Kellaigh**" is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name "Ceallach," which means "bright-headed" or "warrior." It is a variant spelling of the more common name "Kelly." The name Kellaigh may have been chosen to give a unique and distinctive touch to the traditional name Kelly.
* "**Walter**" is of Germanic origin and is derived from the Old Germanic name "Waldhar," which is composed of the elements "wald," meaning "ruler" or "power," and "hari," meaning "army" or "warrior." Walter is a widely used name in various cultures and languages.
* "**Jones**" is a common surname of Welsh origin. It originated as a patronymic surname, meaning "son of John." The name John itself is derived from the Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "God is gracious."
* "**Kelly**" is a common nickname for individuals with the given name Kellaigh or the more commonly known name Kelly. The nickname Kelly is often used as a shortened and more informal form of the original name. It may have been given to Kellaigh Walter Jones as a familiar and affectionate way of addressing him.

## History

Kelly Jones was born in February 14th, 1896, originally from Munster, Ireland, to novitiate mother Reenie Jones and Boxer Flynn Jones, who were immigrants that moved to Ellis Island in 1900 and then to Pennsylvania in 1902. In Pennsylvania, they lived in ghettos, which were low-class areas due to the financial difficulties of the family as well as the rise of racism against Irish people. Young Kelly was affected by this racism, as he was attacked and chased by racist kids from alleyways every day. His father often taught him to defend himself from attackers during his early teens, and Kelly would often listen to the radio about boxing, which led to his development of street boxing skills. One time, he saved a little girl from being raped by her uncle, leading the uncle to go to jail and the community to reward Kelly for his heroic act. Kelly had his first son with Rae, an Irish-American woman, at the age of 14, and they married and lived together on a rural farm in Pennsylvania. However, the family struggled with financial issues, and they had another son in 1908, which only made things worse. Kelly's love for boxing began when he was a teenager, and his father taught him the sport as a way to help the family financially.

As Kelly got older, he started participating in street boxing matches, quickly gaining a reputation for his skills in the ring. He soon joined a local boxing gym in Pennsylvania, where he met other boxers who shared his passion for the sport, including James Haughton, who became his trainer. One day, when Kelly went to a company to hire him as a traveling boxer, which allowed him to earn money for victories, he agreed to take the job after getting news from his community and family. Kelly's first official match was against Charlie Smith in New York in 1914, which he won. He went on to fight African-American boxer Sam Crosby in Louisiana in the summer of 1915, which he also won. In 1916, he had his first official international boxing match against French boxer Jean-Luc Monet in New York, which he won. Kelly continued to participate in matches across different countries, including a match against German boxer Hans Muller in Berlin in 1918, which he also won. In December of that same year, he fought Italian-American Christo Antonio in New York, which ended in a draw.

In 1919, Kelly fought Italian boxer Giovanni Rossi in Rome, which he won. In Ottawa, he fought WW1 veteran soldier boxer Justin Frustaci, which he won. He also fought British boxer Jack Williams in London in 1920, which ended in a draw. Kelly fought Swedish boxer Klang Olssen, which he won, and Chinese-American Peter Chen Woo in San Francisco in 1921, which ended in a draw, leading Kelly to victory. He also fought the most famous Mexican boxer, Manuel Juan Julios, in Texas, which he won, earning a reward of 5 million dollars from the company he worked for, making his family famous. Due to his victories, Kelly became the most famous boxing champion, earning a lot of money from his boxing career. His most challenging fight was against Russian boxer Ivan Petrov in Moscow in 1921, which he won, leading him to become even more famous in the media during the 1920s. Kelly participated in various official boxing matches across different countries, winning most of them and earning rewards and prizes. His success in boxing made him a wealthy man, allowing him to provide for his family and live a comfortable life.

In 1922, boxer Kelly competed in a world championship match in Ontario against German-Polish-Canadian opponent Karlin Moses II Braunschaffe, despite Kelly's efforts to defeat him, Karlin resorted to violence and broke Kelly's leg, in addition, Karlin also sucker-punched Kelly in the face, resulting in a serious injury that landed Kelly in the hospital for weeks, where he suffered from severe depression that was compounded by the trauma and bruises he suffered, losing some of his eyesight in his right eye, and his ears were ringing from the impact of the punch, despite his efforts to get up, he fell twice and had to be kept in bed by nurses, when Kelly's wife visited him at the hospital in Ontario, she was so traumatized by his injuries that she walked off, leaving Kelly feeling even more affected by the incident, the physical and emotional toll of the attack left Kelly struggling to recover, both physically and mentally, Karlin was subsequently banned from boxing for his brutal attack from radio, but the damage to Kelly's health and well-being had already been done, however, Kelly found solace in the care of Maraiah, a kind and compassionate nurse who took great care of him during his recovery, over time, Kelly and Maraiah developed a strong bond, and their relationship blossomed into a romantic one, Maraiah provided Kelly with the emotional support he needed to overcome his feelings of guilt and depression, she helped him see that his injury was not his fault, and that he was still a valuable and worthy person, regardless of his physical condition, with Maraiah by his side, Kelly began to regain his confidence and sense of self-worth, he no longer felt alone and isolated, and he started to see a brighter future for himself, as Kelly's health improved, he knew that he needed to return to his family in Pennsylvania, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving Maraiah behind, so, he made arrangements to continue seeing her, even after he had returned home.

Over the weeks, Kelly and Maraiah's relationship continued to flourish, they often spent summers together in Ontario, where they would visit Levi's Colonia, a beautiful and secluded spot where they could be alone together, it was during one of these summer visits that Kelly and Maraiah had their first sexual encounter, the experience was intense and emotional, and it brought them even closer together, as time went on, Kelly and Maraiah's relationship became more complicated, Maraiah became pregnant, and they were faced with the difficult decision of what to do next, ultimately, they decided to keep the baby, and their affair continued, they knew that their relationship was not simple or easy, but they couldn't deny the deep love and connection they had with each other, Maraiah cared for him, and when she became pregnant with Jonah, she decided to carry the baby to term despite the illegality of abortion in Canada, the scandalous affair between Kelly and the nurse caused quite a stir, especially due to Kelly's fame, to protect Kelly's reputation, Maraiah quit nursing and moved back to her parents' farm, Levi's Colonia, in rural Ontario with Jonah, there, Maraiah lived a secluded life and focused solely on raising her son while Jonah worked as a housemother and librarian in Ontario, despite the challenges they faced, Kelly and Maraiah remained committed to each other, they knew that their love was worth fighting for, no matter what obstacles they encountered along the way, despite the challenges that came with raising a child out of wedlock, Maraiah was determined to give Jonah the best life possible, she poured all of her love and energy into raising him, providing him with a stable and nurturing home environment.

During a visit to Levi's Colonia, Kelly was tasked with giving a name to a boy along with Maraiah and Yaelle, and Jonah's arrival in the De la Uziel household caused significant changes as his name "Alyosha" was changed to "Jonatás" by his grandmother Yaelle according to Jewish conservative law, while Maraiah preferred his first name to be "Moreno," a Hispanic boy name meaning "brown" or "dark-skinned," with Jonah's physical features resembling those of his great-great-great-grandfather, Rabbi Moreno Ziv De la Cruz, who lived in Spain during the 1600s, leading Kelly to give him the nickname "Jonah," inspired by the prohibition-era beer product "Jonah's Boys," and cautioning him humorously not to reveal his name to any Protestants, adding a lighthearted touch to the situation, sparking changes and traditions that molded his life and upbringing, with Kelly adding "Flynn" to his name, an Irish name that means "descendant of Flann," fitting due to Jonah's reddish-brown eyes, leading to his full name becoming Jonatás Moreno Flynn De la Uziel, and he was also referred to as "Red" by his father and some relatives, emphasizing his mixed heritage and family tradition. Kelly visited the Levi's Colonia farm in rural Ontario to see Maraiah and Jonah, the last owners of the farmland, and to offer support as Jonah faced racism against mixed marriages but was determined to keep his parents together, bonding with his son over boxing stories and watching matches on television together, taking Jonah to Rick Jacksonville, a boxing coach at a local gym, who taught him the art of self-defense against bullies, sparking a heated debate with Mariah over the idea of teaching Jonah boxing, struggling to find the best way to protect Jonah from bullying, with Kelly often teaching Jonah boxing over weeks, ultimately instilling a sense of confidence in Jonah through self-defense training in boxing, despite Jonah's decision not to use it to fight back against his bullies, as he feared that it would cause harm to others, promising to keep in touch with Jonah, who had become like a son to him, as Kelly left the farm.

During Jonah's 11th birthday party, Kelly Jones gave his son boxing gloves, causing concern for Mariah, while Jonah shared his birthday chocolate with Kana and Ricky in an abandoned barn where Kelly found them and joked about stealing candy from babies, leading Jonah to reveal the truth about hiding Kana and Ricky from their abusive father, prompting the police to offer a bounty for their kidnapper, with Kelly helping to lighten the mood with jokes and noticing bruises on Kana's neck, causing suspicion; an argument between Mariah and Kelly ensued after Jonah told Mariah the truth, resulting in Jonah throwing a vase and Kelly leaving Levi's Colonia, but still supporting Jonah and the children, causing suspicion from Mariah who found Kelly in bed with Jonah, leading to Jonah confiding in his mother in private; Jonah stopped Kelly from leaving and revealed where Kana and Ricky were hiding, leading to Mariah inviting the children to stay at her home, while Francesca, the mother of Kana and Ricky, called for help as she was trapped in her home with her abusive husband, causing Mariah to offer her a place to stay at Levi's Colonia; Kelly and Samuel went with Mariah to rescue Francesca, while Jonah went with his mother and Kelly's uncle, with Yaelle and Linda staying to protect Kana and Ricky, leading to the discovery of Francesca chained in her basement, with Kelly and Samuel helping her break free; Kelly attacked Berry, who had a gun, after Jonah called for help, causing Jonah to run to Samuel and Kelly to be stopped from killing Berry, leading to Kelly's remorse and embarrassment, but Jonah reassuring him that Kana, Ricky, and their mother and unborn sibling were safe, causing Kelly to reflect on the impact he made and friendships he formed before leaving Levi's Colonia.

## Personality

Kelly Jones was mentally and physically exhausted to due his hearing, he seen kind and friendly, his scars and tremendous.

## Travia

* Kelly Jones's full name was Kellaigh Walter Jones.
* Kelly's son Jonah inherited his hair color from him, while inheriting his mother's eyes. Jonah was born with a lighter tanned skin tone that was a combination of Kelly's fair complexion and Maraiah's dark tan.
* During his youth, Kelly performed a heroic act by saving a little girl from being assaulted by her uncle. This act of bravery led to the uncle's arrest and earned Kelly recognition and rewards from the community.
* Kelly had a one-night encounter with Maraiah De la Uziel, a nurse at the hospital, which happened accidentally on Christmas Eve. At that time, Maraiah was unaware that Kelly was married and had children. It wasn't until Kelly visited her during a family meeting in the summer of 1933 that he discovered he had a son with Maraiah. This revelation filled him with guilt.
* Kelly was an orphan and an Irish immigrant who grew up in Ellis Island during the wave of American Great Immigration. He later moved to Pennsylvania.
* At the age of 25, Kelly decided to become a priest to support his wife and sons, while also pursuing a career in boxing. He often maintained a clerical marriage to keep his family together.
* Kelly is known as an honorable, hardworking disciplinarian priest in the Irish Roman Catholic community and within his own family.
* At the young age of 14, Kelly became a teenage parent when he had his first son with Rae in 1917. Rae herself was 15 years old at the time.
* Kelly was a devout Roman Catholic and served as a Roman Catholic priest in Philadelphia.
* Kelly was originally came from Dromahair, Ireland.