Richard Kelley

Richard Kelley

November 23, 1949 – February 06, 2011

Memorial Service: 2:00 p.m. Wednesday February 09, 2011 at New Sharon First Christian Church
Richard Duane Kelley, 61, of Grinnell, “flew away” February 6, 2011, at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. A memorial service has been scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 9, at the New Sharon First Christian Church, with Pastor Frank Mick, officiating. Burial will be held at a later date. There will be no visitation. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Richard D. Kelley Memorial Fund.

Richard was born November 23, 1949, in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Richard Amos and Doris Cornell Kelley. He was raised in Oskaloosa and attended school in the Oskaloosa School District. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. After serving in the military, he returned to Iowa and assisted his parents in the county home business and drove for an ambulance company.

On November 17, 1978, he was united in marriage to Debora Worth, in Mt. Pleasant. The couple lived in S.E. Iowa and he was employed for Case in Burlington and later farmed. They divorced in 1998. He was later married to Mercy Jaictin on August 4, 1999, in Oskaloosa and they lived in New Sharon and Barnes City prior to moving to Ewart Township, near Grinnell in 2010.

Richard enjoyed living on the farm, raising sheep and training miniature horses. He held a passion for inventing energy apparatus’ and science fiction. He was a licensed pilot and loved to fly.

Survivors include his wife, Mercy of Grinnell; two children, LouAnn (David) Ashe-Kelley Bruster I of Mt. Pleasant and April Jasmine Kelley of Grinnell; he was a father figure to Stanley (Kenna) Sloan of Knoxville and Robert (Amber) White of Freeport, Illinois; one brother, Daniel Lee (Diana) Kelley of Newton; two grandchildren, Emerald Kelly Bruster and Jedidiah Kelley Bruster; and a niece and nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Source: Smith Funeral Home