Robert P. Kelly

1952 - 2020

BORN

1952

DIED

2020

Robert Kelly Obituary

Robert P. Kelly

Scottsdale - Robert Patrick Kelly, of Scottsdale, AZ, passed away April 19, 2020, after a four-year struggle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Parkinson's disease. Born May 31, 1952 and raised in the wonderful town of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, Rob was the fourth of Paul and Millie Kelly's six children. After high school and some college, Rob enlisted and proudly served in the United States Air Force, becoming a registered surgical nurse. After discharging, he relocated to Phoenix to be near family and continued in the nursing field for thirty-plus years, establishing himself as a top rated, doctor-requested RNFA (registered nurse first assistant) at Scottsdale Osborn and Scottsdale Shea Hospitals. Rob went to night school to earn his MBA and started his own nursing company, Arcadia First Assist, Inc. He also traveled to Nicaragua, volunteering his assistance with the Doctors Without Borders organization. Rob completed several Ironman triathlons including the grueling Escape From Alcatraz in 2011. We referred to him as "shark bait" for a while after that one! We loved him dearly and we will all miss him.

Rob is survived by his two sons, Matthew and Scott of Phoenix, AZ; siblings Paul (Lynn) of Portland, OR; Janice of Martinez, CA; David of Valona, GA; Michael (Janis) of Overgaard, AZ and Christine (Brad Herseth) of Mesa, AZ; former spouse Louise Ostrowski of Phoenix, AZ; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and life-long childhood friends.

Rob was predeceased by his parents, and as a veteran like his father, Rob will have the honor ofbeing interred near them at the National Memorial Cemetery in Cave Creek, AZ, with a memorial service to be held at a later date. Online condolences may be left at azcentral.com/obituaries

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Published by The Arizona Republic from Sep. 15 to Sep. 20, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Robert Kelly

9 Entries

Chip Norris

November 8, 2020

I met Rob through our profession. We were surgical technicians together, we both went on to be surgical RNs together, and RNFAs together. We worked together in the same hospital system for many years. We hung out together outside of work. We camped with our families together, with and without our spouses, but always with our kids. The last time I saw and spoke to Rob was at my retirement party four years ago. If the timeline is right, Rob must have ill at that time. I, and many of his peers, colleagues and friends lost touch with Rob after that. None of us knew he was fighting for his health. His death came as a shock to many of us. I know I speak for all of us when I say Rob will be missed, both in his professional and personal lives. Rest in peace, my friend. You are missed. Godspeed.
Chip Norris

Christine Kelly

September 22, 2020

Always the tease, 5 yr old Robert was bugging 2 yr old Christine about eating her corn on the cob! Miss you, love you brother.
(1958)

Paul

September 22, 2020

Thanks to Jerry Szal for the wonderful “best friends” story of his early years growing up with Rob. As the older brother with “better things” to focus on back then than a much younger brother in a houseful of kids, I got another nice view into Rob’s early life.
Love you Rob. RIP.
Paul K.

Gerry Szal

September 21, 2020

About Rob and me

For those among you that were lucky enough to have a best friend while young, you might be able to recall a parallel in your life similar to the friendship I had with Rob when we were kids. I had one really good friend, a best friend, and it was Robert Kelly. While I did stuff with other kids when I was young I was always, somehow more comfortable and able to be just myself when I was with Rob.

When the Kellys lived on Arbor Drive, Rob and I used to do pretty much everything together. We walked to school together (without parents) with Artie when we were in kindergarten, cracked pebbles between other rocks to see what was inside, traded lunch and on occasion put some sand and dirt in some gas tanks in the school parking lot (hey – other kids were doing it). In the winter we rode sleds down the hill on Bernard Place, built tunnels in the enormous snow piles and sometimes watched tv together. By the time we were 5 or 6 years old, our parents pretty much let us ride our bikes wherever we wanted. Like the expensive meat chickens, we were “free range”. I think Rob had a blue bike and I had a dark red one. We used to love to ride down the sidewalk along Racetrack Road because many of the sidewalk “tiles” had been moved by tree roots, and tilted one way or another making the ride like an obstacle course. We rode all over our part of town and would tell our mom’s that we were going to be out riding bikes; about all they told us in return was to make sure we got back by dinner.

When we were a little older, I got a book on Indians that had a lot of color plates and we used the information in that book to play “Indians”. Although we had some toy cowboy guns, for some reason Rob and I were especially interested in Indians. We made spears out of broomstick or rake handles, sometimes with pieces of sharp rocks lashed to the ends, and rode our bikes (really fast) while carrying these, and threw them at bushes along the side of the road just like Indians of the plains would have hurled their spears at buffalos while hunting them on horseback. We also used our air rifles, with an acorn jammed into the end, to hunt buffalo or squirrels (without any luck).

When the Kelly’s moved, Rob and I were able to actually get out into the woods. We spent an inordinate amount of time turning over rocks and logs looking for salamanders, toads, snakes and insects. At about this time we started venturing out to Colds Pond and the Ho-Ho-kus brook.

When I was in 5th or 6th grade my brothers Paul and Greg got me a slingshot for Christmas. Rob quickly acquired one as well, and we then began what I thought was our most memorable phase: hunting. We used to purchase bags of small marbles at Ben’s 5&10 and put as many of these in our pockets as we could. We’d head off to the Ho-Ho-kus Brook, Cold’s Pond, the woods behind the Kelly’s house and across Rt. 17 to Saddle River. We hunted birds, chipmunks, frogs, squirrels, rabbits and about anything else that moved. We quickly found that certain birds, like Catbirds and chickadees were just too easy to kill because they allowed us to get up close so we stopped hunting for them early-on. I don’t remember ever hunting for woodpeckers; they were just too cool. When we hunted frogs, we mostly went after bullfrogs because these were the biggest. On one occasion we built a fire in the woods along the Ho-Ho-kus brook and roasted a chipmunk. Also, my mom would sautéed frog’s legs for us after we brought bullfrogs back from Cold’s Pond.

We didn’t get a lot of chipmunks so it was a big deal when we did. At a certain point we skinned two of the chipmunks, one that Rob killed and one that I killed in the Kelly’s back woods. Mr. Kelly gave us two off-cuts of paneling from the house on which we mounted these pelts. It was one of my very favorite things and I had it on my bedroom wall from my time in Ho-Ho-kus, through high school; it also hung on every one of my dorm rooms in college and, according to my wife, it’s still around somewhere. It was a physical link to a simple and happy era for many years.

Rob and I used to stay over each other’s houses from time to time. If Rob stayed over our house, my mom would always make a big breakfast with bacon, waffles, eggs and such. In addition, she would tell me in advance that if Robert were to ask “do you guys always have a big breakfast like this” that I was to say “Yes, all the time”. Poor Mrs. Kelly. Sometimes Rob would be planning on staying over but leave prior to dinner. I didn’t find out until Rob and I made contact again after about a 30-year hiatus, that these were the nights that my mom was cooking Golobki. He recently told me that when he started to smell the cabbage it was time to go.

When I stayed over the Kelly’s we often had steak for dinner at the enormous table you guys had. Did the Kelly’s often have steak for dinner (we didn’t) or was this Mrs. Kelly’s sly response to the big breakfasts?

About mid-year through our freshman year at St. Joe’s, my family moved to Montvale and Rob and my friendship began to wane. We lost touch for about 30 years after Rob joined the military but found each other again when our parents, who were still in touch with each other, were approaching death. We re-kindled a great relationship again, almost as if we hadn’t been apart.

I really miss you Rob. I'm so glad we found each other again.
Rest in peace. -Gerry

September 21, 2020

My sincere condolences to the family on your loss.

God bless you all,
Yvette Reed

Wendy Pitha

September 20, 2020

What a privilege and delight to know and work with Rob at Scottsdale Osborn. He was a shining light in the OR and as smart and capable as they come. God bless him and his family.

David Kelly

September 18, 2020

I miss you Rob.
Love,
brother Dave

Brian Van Lenten

September 18, 2020

I was shocked and saddened to have heard about Rob's passing. We grew up together in Ho-Ho-Kus and were classmates at St.Luke's Grammar and St. Joseph's Regional High School. We stayed in touch during college and after I moved to CA, spending time backpacking and just plain hanging out together. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family.

Christine Kelly

September 18, 2020

Sorry you had to go Robbie. Our family won't be the same without you. I'll miss your goofiness & wacky questions. No more Monty Python jokes - well, maybe that's a blessing! You can relax & chill out now. Give Mom & Dad a hug for me.
Love you Rabbit!

Christine

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