He was born March 23, 1937, in St. Louis, MO to the late Dr. Gilbert Byron Kelley and Wilma McKee Kelley. He is predeceased by a brother, Kim Kelley.
Dave was the eldest of the Kelley Boys and is survived by brothers Terry Kelley (Mary) of Ledgewood, NJ; Tim Kelley (Donna) of Savannah, MO; Pat Kelley (Nancy) of Lee’s Summit, MO; and Kevin Kelley (Karol) of St. Joseph, MO.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jan Edmonds Kelley, and children David Byron Kelley, Jr. (Clara) of NYC; Chris Kelley (Sigrid) of Long Island City, NY; Jennifer Pezzimenti (Luke) of Portland, OR; Heather Holbrook (Kenneth Krawcheck) of Holden Beach, NC; and Molly Cherry (Matt) of Raleigh, NC, and grandchildren Henry, Ciara, Arianna, Jeremy, Jackson, Charles, Annabelle and William, as well as numerous friends, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Dave never tired of telling stories of the many adventures with his family and friends in his hometown of Savannah, MO. He was a helper and a role model throughout his life. An Eagle Scout, he was a member of the BSA Tribe of Mic-O-Say, and a scout master. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Agriculture from the University of Missouri, Columbia and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He loved sports including golf, surfing, water skiing, and football (he played for MIZZOU).
After graduation, he joined the US Air Force, serving as a Captain flying the C-124 Globemaster during the Vietnam War. and was stationed at Hickam AF Base in Honolulu, HI. Immediately following his military service, he was hired by Braniff International in 1967 before joining Piedmont Airlines in 1983. Piedmont became USAirways and he retired as Captain in 1997. In retirement Dave flew the Cessna Citation as a private jet pilot for three more years.
Dave and Jan moved from High Point, NC to Lockwood Folly near Holden Beach in 2002.
The funeral service will be held at the Holden Beach Chapel on Friday, January 10 at 1:00 PM. Reception immediately following.
In Dave’s honor, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/ or to the charity of your choice
You may offer online condolences at www.whitefuneralservicesupply.com
White Funeral and Cremation Service, Supply/Bolivia Chapel
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