Harold Van Smith Kelton

1926 - 2022

Harold Van Smith Kelton
May 3, 1926 - August 23, 2022
Zebulon, North Carolina - On Tuesday, August 23rd, our community lost a friend and passionate wildlife advocate. Harry Kelton, the founder of Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, passed away peacefully at the age of 96. Harold Van Smith Kelton was born May 3, 1926, in Raleigh, NC., the son of John B and Mabel Smith Kelton. He graduated from Purdue University in 1948 and moved to North Bay Village in 1970 where he worked as a mechanical engineer until 1996 for several businesses, including designing broilers for Burger King Corp.
When Harry and his wife of 48 years, Darlene, founded PHSS in 1980, the field of wildlife rehabilitation was in its early stages. Harry helped to revolutionize the rehabilitation and care of Brown Pelicans and was instrumental in helping bolster their population by releasing more than 7,000 during a time when they were still on the endangered species list. Harry was extremely respected within the field and served on the board of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council for nearly a decade.
Harry is survived by two sons, Robert Kelton of Hollywood, FL, and John Kelton of Zebulon, NC. He was preceded in death by his wife and cofounder of PHSS, Darlene Kelton in 2003, his stepson David Buckwalter in 1994, and his stepdaughter Kaye Taylor in 2017. He is survived by seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life is being planned, for details, or to share a memory or a photo please visit pelicanharbor.org/celebration-of-life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harry and Darlene Kelton Brown Pelican Fund at the web address above or mailed to Pelican Harbor Seabird Station at 1279 NE 79th Street Causeway, Miami, FL 33138.
For more information, please call 305-762-7633.