Colandus ‘Kelly’ Francis Sr., former Camden County NAACP president and civic icon, dies at 87

Colandus “Kelly” Francis Sr., 87, of Camden, former president and vice president of the Camden County chapter of the NAACP, longtime Camden civic activist, and 34-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, died Saturday, March 26, of cancer at home.

Mr. Francis lived in Camden’s Parkside neighborhood for more than four decades, led Camden County’s NAACP for 18 years in the 2000s, and was a tireless advocate for, among other things, quality education, civil rights, affordable housing, equitable economic development, and environmental justice.

Known as Kelly, short for Colandus, he was a constant, outspoken presence at City Council and other public meetings in Camden, representing the city’s residents, and held many positions of leadership over his decades of public service.

“Kelly was a civil rights giant who in so many ways was at the leading edge for decades of struggles for racial justice in Camden and throughout New Jersey,” Adam Gordon, executive director of the Fair Share Housing Center, wrote in an online tribute.

Mr. Francis excelled at communicating and educating others about Camden’s history and civic activities as well as stimulating change on his own. Friends and other local leaders called him “smart,” “dedicated,” “ready to talk,” a “gentleman,” and a “civic icon.”

He vigorously defended the NAACP’s integrity and mission, championed its Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific achievement program, and, sometimes with his own money, helped local students apply for scholarships and attend academic competitions across the country.

He served as vice president of the Camden City Taxpayers Association, vice chairman of Parkside Business and Community in Partnership, and chairman of the board of directors of the Fair Share Housing Center.

He was quoted often in news accounts of Camden’s civic activities and in 2018 objected to the demolition of Camden High School, telling The Inquirer: “So much of Camden has been torn down. Our neighborhoods were torn down, wiped out.”

He was also a member of the Camden City Early Childhood Education Advisory Council, Camden County Cultural Awareness committee, Environmental Justice Advisory Council for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and on the board of directors of the New Jersey Work Environment Council.

“He was focused,” said his daughter, Robyn. “If something had to be done, it got done.”

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Mr. Francis kept copious notes and records of his civic work, and his collection of newspaper clippings that addressed his positions is legendary. “He could hold conversations with just about anyone, and he did,” a friend said in a tribute.

He helped refurbish, with his own money, a South Camden home in which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stayed while attending a seminary in Pennsylvania and in 2004 sued to stop raises for Camden’s high-ranking police and fire officials.

“I’m just trying to let the public know what’s going on,” he said at a 2004 City Council meeting that was covered by The Inquirer. “They’re putting the city deeper in debt and making it that much more difficult for Camden to become self-sufficient.”

It was common for those who had just met Mr. Francis to ask whether there was any civic organization in Camden to which he did not belong. His answer was usually “No.”

Born Aug. 12, 1934, in Enfield, N.C., Mr. Francis lived in Newport News, Va., until his family moved to Camden in 1949. He graduated from Camden High School in 1952 and attended classes in electronics and other subjects at Salem County Community College, Pennsylvania State University, and Rutgers University.

He joined the Postal Service as a temporary mail carrier in 1956, served as general president and in other roles for the American Postal Workers Union, and retired in 1989 as an electronic technician.

He married Alice Brown in 1956, and they had daughter Robyn and sons Colandus Jr. and Kevin. They later divorced.

Mr. Francis liked to tinker with electronics and collected countless devices he said he intended to repair. He liked jazz, traveled as often as possible, and doted on his grandchildren at family reunions.

“His passion for Camden and for its children and community was extraordinary,” said his son Kevin.

In addition to his children, Mr. Francis is survived by three grandsons, six great-grandchildren, and other relatives. His former wife died earlier.

Visitation is to be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, April 11, at the Salvation Army Community Center, 1865 Harrison Ave. in Camden. A service is to follow.

Donations in his name may be made to the NAACP New Jersey State Conference, 4326 Harbour Beach Blvd. No. 775, Brigantine, N.J. 08203. ATTN: Vivan Darks. In memo: In Memory of Colandus “Kelly” Francis NJ State Conference ACTSO Program.