It was an end of an era Sunday, June 27, when the infamous Hobo Circus Clown Pat Kelly died at Hickory Creek in Peru at the age of 87. 

Pat was the last living son of the late Emmett Kelly, the nation’s most famous hobo clown ‘Weary Willie,’ based on the hobos in the 1930’s during the great depression.

The Kokomo Tribune reported Pat Kelly’s career in Peru officially started in 1958. Pat and his stepfather, Joe Lewis, a famous cop clown, put on a show outside the Fred Sanger’s department store at 51 N Broadway in Peru, which is now home to the Miami County Museum.

Pat went on to perform for decades around the nation but returned back to the area in the mid-nineties, where he continued as the 'official clown in residence, leaving a legacy in Peru and the circus world.