Richard “Dick” W. Kelley, age 89 of Tracy, died Friday, January 5, 2024 at the Cottagewood Senior Community in Mankato. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 12, 2024 at the Tracy United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 12:30 to the time of service on Friday at the church. Interment will be in the Tracy City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Tracy Country Club that will go toward a tree and marker. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Dick Kelley was born April 8, 1934 in Tracy, MN to Frank and Marjorie Kelley. He graduated from Tracy High School in 1952 and from there went on to college at Mankato State. After Mankato, Dick attended the University of Minnesota as he pursued his degree in mortuary science. During his time in school and upon graduation, Dick worked for the family business Kelley Furniture and Funeral Home. When Frank and Marge retired in 1971, Dick continued in the funeral business and helped his dad build their house on 3rd Street in Tracy. He eventually got out of the funeral business and farmed.
In his later years, he returned to the funeral business and retired in 2018. Dick was always well-known around town as an active member of his community, and served his country in the U.S. Army. His community service involved city council, fire department, ambulance service, and Box Car Days volunteer. Dick was a member of the Tracy Chamber, Tracy Masonic Post 155, Tracy Eagles, and Tracy Country Club, just to name a few. Dick was generous with his time and the knowledge he could share. He always enjoyed time with friends, spending time at the lake, reading, golfing, tinkering in his shop, local baseball games, and classic cars. He was a jack of all trades and was well-known for his one-liners, his quick-wit, and his many stories.
Dick is survived by cousins and his many friends in the community of Tracy. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Robert, and his close friends Tom Rignell and Shorty Engel.