Obituary: Ralph Kelly ('47)

Ralph Elmer Kelly
November 6, 1924 - December 3, 2011

Ralph Elmer Kelly was born in Hillsboro, IL on November 6, 1924 to Florence A. Sipes and Henry E. Kelly. Dr. Kelly was raised and attended public schools in Champaign, IL. He entered the University of Illinois in 1941, was a member of both the Alpha Kappa Lambda social fraternity and the Sigma Xi honors fraternity, and graduated with a BS in Chemistry with high honors in 1947. He served as a radar technician in the US Navy (South Pacific) from 1943 to 1945. Dr. Kelly received a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1951. He was hired by Hercules Chemical Company in Wilmington, DE in 1951 and worked on various assignments through 1985. At retirement, he was Director of Research and Development for Hercules Europe, based in London, England.

Dr. Kelly served in various positions in the community. At Hanover Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE, he was Deacon, Elder, and Clerk of Session. In Unionville, PA, Dr. Kelly was Cub and Scoutmaster for Pack 22 and Troop 22, Boy Scouts of America. In Wilmington, DE, he served as a member of the Board of Kentmere Nursing Home. He also was a member of the Delaware Ornithological Society and a member of the Delaware Genealogy Association. After moving to Cokesbury Village Retirement Community in 1996, Dr. Kelly joined several Cokesbury committees, including the Resident's Council.

Dr. Kelly's hobbies included stamp and coin collecting. He also was an active birder as a member of the Delaware Ornithological Society and maintained a world-wide life list collected across five continents over many years.

Dr. Kelly is survived by George-Anne (Jan) Oliver Kelly, his wife of 64 years, and five children: Ralph Michael (Shirley), Lansing, MI; Thomas Oliver (Annie), Cherry Hill, NJ; Charles Henry (Leslie), Wilmington, DE; Steven William (Tara), Boulder, CO; Mary-Margaret Kelly Bickhart (Bill), Wheaton, IL. Dr. Kelly also is survived by additional family members, including 12 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Doris M. Kelly Salzman (Paul), Chebanse, IL; a brother-in-law, Charles Montgomery Oliver II (Helen), Charlottesville, VA, and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as many longtime friends.