Thomas Kelley

Obituary Thomas J. Kelley passed away suddenly on May 30, 2017. He is survived by his three children: Catherine Martin and her husband, James; Maureen English and her husband, Lance; and Brian P. Kelley and his wife Jodie. Tom is also survived by six grandchildren: A.J. Martin, Cody Martin, Caitlin English Lumley and her husband Nathan, Shannon English, Sean English, and Ryan English. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Marie Colette Kelley and his parents, Thomas J. & Agnes R. (Moore) Kelley. Tom was born in New York City on April 3, 1934. He attended St. Gabriels Grammar School, Fordham Preparatory School, and then Fordham University, School of Business, graduating on June 18, 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing & Advertising. At that ceremony, he was designated as an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U. S. Army. Tom married Marie C. de Cordoba on June 15, 1957 at St. Gabriels Church in the Bronx, New York. After graduating, Tom worked for the Tensolite Insulated Wire Co., Tarrytown, NY until he reported for active duty on April 7, 1957 at Fort Holabird, MD. Over the next twenty years, he served as a Counterintelligence Special Agent in Spokane, WA and Munich, Germany; studied the German language at the Army Language School, Monterey, CA; was an Intelligence Staff Officer at Ft. Holabird, MD and at Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam (USARV) in Saigon, Vietnam; was the Director of Security at the U.S. Army Security Agency Training Center and as the Director of Operations for the 108th Military Intelligence Group, both at Ft. Devens, MA; commanded a Military Intelligence unit and the indigenous Long Range Patrol Training Center of the Americal Division in Chu Lai, Vietnam; attended the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS; and served as a staff officer at the North American Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, CO. His decorations included the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Services Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He retired as a Lt. Colonel on April 30, 1977. After retiring from active service, Tom owned/operated his own Material Handling Equipment company for two years and also managed a commercial, mass-marketing flower company. Between 1980 and 1999, he worked in Purchasing, Operations & Manufacturing Management, and International Traffic Management for a number of firms in Colorado Springs that included SAES Getters, Spectranetics, MCI, and Kaman Instrumentation. After retiring on April 30, 1999, Tom remained active doing volunteer work. He was a Budget Counselor for Partner-in-Housing, a non-profit agency that provided housing and self-sufficiency training to homeless parents with children. He was a teacher in the "English as a Second Language" Program conducted by Catholic Charities in Colorado Springs. Tom served on the Diocesan Building & Property Commission which reviewed all construction projects within the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs. He was an Information Specialist and weekly Lecturer at the Visitor and Nature Center, Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs. And, for many years, he served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Homeowners Association where he and his wife lived. As a Founding Member of Holy Apostles Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, Tom served as its Business Manager and first Pastoral Council President. He also served as a member of the Pastoral Council and as the Chairman of the Building Committee at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Colorado Springs and was the Owners Representative/Project Manager for the parish during its multi-million dollar expansion & remodeling project from 2001 to 2005. Tom enjoyed studying the many Native American cultures which occupied the American Southwest over the centuries. He and his wife traveled extensively throughout this region, visiting many of the ancient archeological sites that dot that part of the United States. A Mass of Christian Burial and a celebration of his life will be held at 10 AM, Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Colorado Springs. An inurnment ceremony will follow at 2:00pm at the Mount St Francis Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution in Toms name may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Services Memorial Mass Wednesday July 5, 2017 10:00 AM St. Patricks Catholic Church 6455 Brook Park Dr. Colorado Springs, Co. 80918 Inurnment Wednesday July 5, 2017 2:00 PM St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 2650 Parish View Colorado Springs, CO 80919 Luncheon Wednesday July 5, 2017 St. Patricks Catholic Church 6455 Brook Park Dr. Colorado Springs, Co. 80918