Richard Alexander Kelly Jr.

Richard Alexander Kelly, Jr., 86, died on February 22, 2014, after a life of devotion to his family and his profession. The elder of the two sons of Richard Alexander Kelly and Claire Binford Kelly, he was born in Louisville, Ky., in December 1927. His father was a Baptist pastor, and the family lived in Belmont and Canton, N.C., and Hastings and Lake Worth, Fla. His parents instilled in him a lifelong love of music and compassion for others, modeling Christian values that he lived throughout his life. A bout with pneumonia at age ten, and a close relationship with his family doctor, led him to become a doctor.

He attended Wake Forest College where he served as a photographer for a student publication, joined Alpha Kappa Pi fraternity, conducted vespers for the Baptist Student Union, and, as a sophomore, played center on the 1946 football team that won the first Gator Bowl. Dick loved a good story, and some of his favorites featured legendary Wake Forest football coach D.C. “Peahead” Walker.

Dick interrupted his college years to join the United States Army, serving as a clerk on a hospital ship. Transporting injured servicemen and their families from Germany to New York City through the North Atlantic was not a typical experience for a young soldier, but a valuable one for an aspiring doctor. In layovers between trips, he enjoyed visiting jazz clubs in the city.

Upon graduation from Wake Forest, he attended Duke University Medical School, graduating in 1954. While in medical school, he met Patsy Wooten on the Duke campus bus. On their first date he took her to the Morehead Planetarium, where as a weary medical student he began snoring with virtuosity as soon as the lights went down, resisting her multiple attempts to awaken him. Nevertheless, they were married in 1953. They moved to Detroit, Mich., where he completed his internship at Detroit Receiving Hospital, and then to Louisville, Ky., for his residency in internal medicine. He and Patsy moved to Greensboro, N.C., in 1956, where he began a general practice, on call at all times with daily visits to sick patients in two different hospitals and their homes. He was active in state and local professional organizations and with community health programs focusing on mental health and family services. In 1974, he was recruited to be the chief of outpatient services, including the Emergency Department, at Moses Cone Hospital, where he served for ten years. A particular pleasure was teaching young doctors in training.

When he and Patsy retired and moved to Oak Ridge, N.C., he was able to spend more time on his love of gardening and fishing, and he mastered new skills such as welding and bricklaying. After again relocating to Pine Knoll Shores, he refurbished a Simmons Sea-Skiff and became certified in marine navigation by United States Power Squadron.

Patsy and Dick moved to Raleigh in 1998 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. In recent years, he enjoyed visiting with family, attending the activities of his grandchildren, gardening, and listening to classical music.

He is survived by his adored and devoted wife of over 60 years, Patsy Wooten Kelly, of Raleigh, N.C.; daughter Susan Kelly Nichols and husband Chuck of Raleigh, N.C.; and sons Richard Alexander Kelly, III, and wife Rose Mary of Greenville, S.C., Charles Simmons Kelly and wife Anita of Rock Hill, S.C., and Ralph Wooten Kelly of Raleigh, N.C. His grandchildren and great–grandchildren are Rebecca Kelly Goernandt and husband Christian and children Martin, Olivia, and Toby of Wedderstedt, Germany; Richard Alexander Kelly, IV, and wife Felicity and son Alex (V) of Houston, Texas; Charles Francis Nichols of Seoul, South Korea; Charles Simmons Kelly, Jr., of Asheville, N.C.; James Hancock Kelly and wife Ashley of Houston, Texas; Allison Kelly Bogue and husband Brian and son Ty of Forth Worth, Texas; Hannah Kelly Rodriquez and husband Silas of Austin, Texas; Patrick Kelly Nichols of Austin, Texas; Kristen Randall Kelly of Rock Hill, S.C.; and Esther Susanna Kelly of Greenville, S.C. Dick is also survived by his brother, Charles Edwin Kelly, and wife Lois of Atlanta, GA; nephew Alexander Carter Kelly and wife Shane of Nashville, Tennessee; and sisters-in-law Lillian Wooten McIver and husband Ron of Wilmington, N.C., and Zulene (Mrs. Dan P.) Wooten of Atlantic Beach, N.C. He was predeceased by nephew Charles Edwin Kelly, Jr.

A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, 99 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. with an opportunity to visit the family immediately after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Richard Kelly's name to the nonprofit classical radio station WCPE, Box 897, Wake Forest, NC 27588. For more information, please call 800-556-5178.