Donald T. Kelley, 79, beloved husband, father, and friend died March 12, 2014 in Arden, NC.
Don was born July 21, 1934 in Chicago, Ill. He was the son of the late Paul F. and Mary Wright Kelley.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years Thea Schulze; five daughters, Mel Kelley (David Black), Donna Kelley (Marcus Riley), Christine Dennis (Paul Dennis), Laura Coakley (David Coakley), Cary Kelley Whitstine (Chris Stenglein); five grandchildren; one great grandchild; one brother, Paul Kelley Jr., a niece and nephew, and three grand-nieces and nephews.
Don earned a Master of Science degree from Georgia Tech, taught at Georgia Tech and served on State and Non-profit organizations in GA and NC as a planning consultant. In 1993, he completed the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation (Bethesda, MD) program on spiritual guidance and thereafter served as staff member-mentor in the “Facilitating Group Spiritual Direction” program. His essay titled “Learning with a Clergy Group” was published in The Lived Experience of Group Spiritual Direction (Paulist Press 2003) ed. Rosemary Daugherty SSND. He led adult spiritual formation retreats and classes across Western NC. He was a member of Spiritual Directors International and he was a board member and co-developer of Stillpoint Ministries Retreat Leaders Training program. For 13 years he served as a spiritual guide for The Potter’s Touch, The United Methodist Counseling and Spiritual Guidance Service in WNC.
He was most recently a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Black Mountain and was previously active in the Jubilee Community Christian Congregation in Asheville. While active for many years as a Catholic in Georgia, he served as chair of The Religious Unity Commission of The Diocese, and as The Catholic Lay Representative on The Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta. “Learning to embrace divine grace” guided Don’s spiritual journey.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 2:00 pm at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W. State St., Black Mountain.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. James Episcopal Church or to The Potter’s Touch, Blue Ridge District, 27 Balm Grove Ave., Asheville, NC 28806.

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