Jessie Anna Kelley

Celebration of life services for Jessie Anna Ward Kelley, 80, of Mabank, Texas will be held at 2:00 pm Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at Eubank Cedar Creek Memorial Park in Mabank, Texas with Bro. Donald Kile officiating.

Jessie passed from this life on March 28, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on September 14, 1944, in Washington D.C., to Jesse Clifford and Hazel Annie (Taylor) Ward. Growing up Jessie developed many hobbies and a love to help other people. She was a member of the First Methodist Church of Mabank. During her free time, she enjoyed sewing, knitting, crocheting, reading, stained glass art and she loved to travel. Jessie met the love of her life in Richard L. Kelley, whom she married on February 22, 1964 and was blessed with 48 wonderful years together. To help others Jessie became a nurse of the finest quality. During nursing school, she was a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa and Valedictorian. Later, she was a proud group member of the National Association of Case Managers, and a Registered Nurse in North Carolina, West Virginia, Illinois and Texas. Throughout the years, Jessie proved what a hardworking, dedicated medical professional she truly was. She started as a nursing assistant in Williamson, North Carolina before moving to a Lab Tech position at the Tarboro Clinic in Tarboro, North Carolina. Then she became a Cardiac ICU nurse at Wayne County Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina before moving to Cardiac, Psychiatric, Med/surg nursing in Greenville, North Carolina. Jessie then established herself as the Director of Nursing at the rehabilitation center in Huntington, West Virginia before becoming the Supervising nurse at Home Health in Chapmanville, West Virginia. She returned to Cardiac ICU nursing at the Memorial Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia before changing to Paramedical, office nurse cardiac/internal medicine for Dr. Ramish Patel in Joliet, Illinois. Jessie moved to Texas in later years taking on a Head nurse/triage nurse position at Health Ways in Carrollton before retiring as a Predetermination/case Manager at First Health in Dallas, Texas.

Jessie is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard L. Kelley; son, David W. Kelley; and parents, Jesse and Hazel Ward. She is survived by her daughter Kathryn Conner and husband Jim of Mabank, TX; sister Frances Hawks and husband Ronnie of Raleigh, NC, with son Chris and wife Jill and family and daughter Beth, niece Bonita Smoot of Mt. Airy, NC and beloved friend of over 50 years, Janice Bland of Tarboro, NC.