Shrewsbury – Gale L. Kelly, PhD, a resident of the Southgate Community 
in Shrewsbury, died Wednesday Aug. 10, 2011, in Notre Dame Long Term Care in Worcester. He was 75.
Born Nov. 22, 1935, in Denver, Colorado, he was son of the late Louden and Gay (Airheart) Kelly. He was raised in Denver and enrolled in the ROTC program at Princeton University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. He later earned his PhD in Educational Administration at the University of Wisconsin in 1972 and served his country as a captain in the United States Army.
His professional career began in education at the University of Denver. He later worked in state government in Wisconsin as the Coordinating Council for Higher Education and at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Administration. He worked for over 16 years at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, where he served as Deputy Provost and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Upon retirement from UMass Medical School, he was a political educator and administrator at Clark University.
Mr. Kelly is described as a brilliant, gracious, a real gentleman, kind, loving, even tempered and dedicated family man. He and his wife, Nancy, celebrated 50 years of marriage this past year and together they took exceptional care of their two special need sons, Christopher and Jonathan. He fostered strong relationships with his sons and created treasured memories through myriad of activities, including bicycle rides and family visits to the lake. One of his passions was baseball and as an adopted New Englander he quickly became a loyal and enthusiastic Red Sox fan and collected all the memorabilia to prove it. Other interests included history, politics and presidents. He enjoyed reading the Boston Globe daily and was an accomplished artist with a specialty for sketches. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Shrewsbury.
He leaves his wife of 50 years, Nancy S. (Simoneau) Kelly; his sons, Christopher and Jonathan; his sister, Sharon Kelly Pate of Denver, Colorado; and nieces and nephews.
Family honored and remembered Mr. Kelly's life by gathering for a private graveside service at Mountain View Cemetery in Shrewsbury. The Rev. Betty Long, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, officiated.
Those who wish to honor his memory may make donation to Special Olympics Massachusetts, State Office, Yawkey Sports Training Center, 512 Forest St., Marlborough, MA 01752.
For online condolences, please visit www.healdchiampa.com.
