Thomas Raymond KELLEY

KELLEY, Thomas Raymond


Thomas Raymond Kelley, 70, of Windsor, beloved husband of Brenda Kelley, passed away at St. Francis Hospital on August 1, 2013 with his immediate family by his side after a long, courageous battle with lung disease. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and son of the late Thomas Francis Kelley Jr. and Doris (Hand) Kelley, he graduated from West Catholic High School for Boys and The Franklin School of Science and Arts in Philadelphia. Tom enlisted in the US Army in 1965 where he served as a Medical Specialist for over 12 years and achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class E8. Tom raised his family in Newington and had a long and distinguished career at St. Francis Hospital & Collaborative Laboratory Services as a Medical Technologist retiring in 2005. St. Francis honored his services in 1994 as their PLUS person of the year (Positive, Loyal, United and Sensitive). He was selected among 34 other employees, all nominated by their co-workers. In addition to his clinical, research, and hospital safety work, Tom played the Hospital Santa Claus for over 20 years. He also was known as the "Band-Aid guy" because he purchased, out of his own funds, silly Band-Aids to give to all of his patients regardless of their age. Hospitals are scary places, and Tom felt he could make a difference by helping patients smile. He was chosen "best of the best" for his years of dedicated service, his participation on hospital committees, his patient-oriented outlook, and his contributions to the community. Tom was one of the earliest members of the Newington Volunteer Ambulance Corp and Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 355 in Newington for 35 years where he served as teacher and mentor, led high adventure canoe trips, accompanied the scouts to summer camp and on camping trips, and enthusiastically helped numerous scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Tom was a great storyteller able to capture the attention of even the younger scouts with campfire stories of pirates and heroes. Tom was a talented woodcarver who ensured that each member of Troop 355 had at least one hand carved neckerchief slide personally made by their Scoutmaster. He loved the outdoors, nature, fishing, his tropical fish, bird watching, history, coin collecting, and music and shared that love and knowledge with those he met. Tom was a wonderful son, father, grandfather, husband, brother and uncle who loved his family, friends, scouts, and country. He was a very hard and dedicated worker, working double shifts for many years to support his family and he instilled that work ethic in his sons. An avid traveler, Tom enjoyed taking road trips with his wife, Brenda, throughout the US and Canada and also trips to Europe. His sons joke that their Dad made sure they were photographed on each Civil War battlefield in the Eastern United States. Tom is survived by his wife, Brenda Kelley, of Windsor; three sons, Michael Kelley and his wife Gigi of Hartford, Mark Kelley and his wife Kirsten of Wethersfield, and Paul Kelley of Wethersfield; a stepson, David McGavran and his wife Miriam Gschwendt of La Jolla, CA and a stepdaughter, Christine McGavran and her wife Tami Fisher of Pacifica, CA; three grandchildren, Christopher, Kyle Brianna, and Nicholas Kelley; four step-grandchildren, Aaron and Shana Gschwendt and Amelia and Eloise Fisher. He also is survived by two sisters, Doris Kelley Chambers and her husband Warren of Drexel Hill, PA and Kathryn Kelley Baun and her husband John of Holmes, PA; five nieces and nephews, Warren Chambers Jr., Margaret Chambers, Kelley Chambers Francis, John Baun Jr., and Traci Baun; and seven great-nieces and great-nephews, Brett, Scottie, and Jayson Francis, Billy and Kathy Cullen, and Andy and Christopher Baun.
A Memorial Service with a Boy Scout Court of Honor will be held on Saturday, August 24 at 2 p.m. at the Church of Christ Congregational, 1075 Main Street in Newington, CT. Tom's family will receive friends at a reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Thomas Kelley may be made to The High Adventure Trip Fund of Boy Scout Troop #355, 1075 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111 or the Fisher House Foundation, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Maryland 20850, http://www.fisherhouse.org/ All funds will be dedicated to a new Fisher House being built on the grounds of the VA CT Healthcare System West Haven Campus that will provide a "home away from home" for military families in need of local accommodations while a loved one is hospitalized. For online condolences, pleasevisit http://www.carmonfuneralhome.com.