Kenneth H. Kelley

Ken Kelley passed away peacefully of pneumonia caused by dementia on June 8. Ken was an old sailor born in Lynn, MA and lived his childhood in Nahant, MA, a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean. He summered at the family farm, Kelley’s Corner, in Gilminton, NH where he had many happy adventures. Like many others, his family struggled through the depression by making logs out of newspaper, eating Poor Man’s Soup for supper, and shoveling snow for the W.P.A.
After college at the Univ. of N.Hampshire and U.Kentucky, he joined the Army and became a paratrooper and First Lieutenant during the Korean War where he made over 100 jumps and became an advanced Jump Master. It was because of his excellent math ability that he served as a liason with the Turkish Army and directed their artillery fire during the war. Ken was always proud of his work with the U.S. Army.
In 1957 Ken married his best friends sister, Jane Bunnell, who had been admiring him from afar ever since he moved with his family to Stratford, Conn. where Ken’s father worked for G.E. Ken and Jane raised three daughters: Nina Kelley Wachtel, Robin Kelley Himes, and Carrie Jade Kelley. The family moved many times through Ken’s career at GE and management in the cable and wire industry and finally traded the ocean for the mountains on their last journey where they settled in Utah.
Ken was an avid sailor from an early age, a cross-country skier, cycler, hiker, storyteller and camper. He was always trying something new and inventive, like building a radio or windmill to produce power. It was because of the wonderful Nahant Library from his childhood that Ken became a lifelong reader. After a day of adventure, Ken would always like to enjoy a martini with his good friends, such as Dan Grice and Jim Loveland.
Ken and Jane enjoyed many adventures together such as back country skiing, back packing, and sailing to Alaska in the 36 foot sailboat, the Windwalker. They also enjoyed sailing with their family on the Atlantic Ocean and the Houstonic RIver on their boat, the Whisper. Ken built two beautiful cabins up Big Cottonwood Canyon where he was free to ski the back country to his heart’s content and read his books while looking at the spectacular views of Solitude Ski Resort.
Unfortunately, Ken’s life drew to an early end a few years ago with the onset of dementia. What a horrible thing to deal with for the whole family. To see Ken’s brilliant mind waste away. What a shame. No services are planned but friends may drop by his home in Sandy on Saturday around 3-4 pm. To express condolences to the family; please visit www.memorialutah.com