Obituary
RICHARD KELSEY MADE HIS TRANSITION FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 AT THE AGE OF 80.
RICHARD (DICK ) KELSEY WAS BORN ON JULY 3, 1942 IN CLIFTON SPRINGS,
NEW YORK TO LAWRENCE AND ROSALIE KELSEY.
HE LIVED ON A FARM WITH HIS PARENTS AND BROTHER IN WATERLOO, NEW YORK AND GRADUATED
FROM WATERLOO CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL IN 1960.
HE HAD THE HIGHEST SCHOLASTIC AVERAGE IN TWO LETTER SPORTS AND WAS THE
SCHOOL CHAMPION IN TABLE TENNIS HIS SENIOR YEAR.
HIS SENIOR YEAR HE WAS ONE OF TWO BOYS FROM HIS HIGH SCHOOL SELECTED TO
GO TO BOY’S STATE. THIS SELECTION WAS STRICTLY ON QUALIFICATIONS
WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE OF WHO THE BOYS WERE. SURPRISINGLY, HIS BEST FRIEND,ROSS DRAKE, WAS THE OTHER BOY SELECTED.
DICK ATTENDED ALFRED STATE TECH COLLEGE FOR TWO YEARS AND GRADUATED WITH
A TWO YEAR DEGREE IN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY. HE WAS THE TABLE TENNIS
CHAMPION AT ALFRED STATE HIS SENIOR YEAR.
HE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO WITH A FOUR YEAR DEGREE IN
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING. HE OBTAINED HIS PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEER LICENSE IN NEW YORK STATE IN 1975. (A BACHELOR’S OF SCIENCE IS A FOUR YEAR DEGREE).
 HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY IN 1964 AND WAS MADE A MEDIC. HE SERVED IN VIET NAM FROM APRIL 1965 TO APRIL 1966.
DICK WAS EMPLOYED BY THE PETER KIEWIT COMPANY IN SAN FRANCISCO,
CALIFORNIA FOR 1 1/2 YEAR. THEN IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK, HE WORKED FOR
A HARVEY MYERS & SON FOR 11 YEARS IN THE PRE ENGINEERED DEPARTMENT.
AFTER MOVING TO TOLEDO, OHIO, DICK WAS EMPLOYED AT RUDOLPH LIBBE IN
WALBIDGE, OHIO FOR 34 YEARS WHERE HE MANAGED THE PRE ENGINEERED DEPARTMENT.
HE WAS ON THE VARCO-PRUDEN BUILDINGS PAC ( PRESIDIDENT’S ADVISORY COUNCIL)
FOR FIVE YEARS, ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THREE YEARS AND ON
VARCO-PRUDEN BUILDING NORTHERN DIVISION ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR SEVEN YEARS
OF WHICH HE WAS PRESIDENT FOR THREE OF THOSE YEARS. HE ALSO WAS A MEMBER
OF MAUMEE ROTARY FOR 18 YEARS.
LATER DURING HIS SEMI RETIREMENT HE WORKED FOR RUDOLPH LIBBE IN THE
SALES DEPARTMENT FOR THREE YEARS BEFORE DOING CONSULTING WORK FOR THEM.
DICK WAS INTRODUCED TO JOANNE DE VERDON BY A BEST FRIEND. AFTER TWO YEARS OF
DATING, DICK MARRIED HIS SWEETHEART, JOANNE , ON OCTOBER 22, 1988.
DICK LOVED TO COOK AND ENJOYED FINDING NEW RECIPES TO TRY. COOKING WAS
A WAY FOR HIM TO RELAX. HE ALSO HAD A PASSION FOR TABLE TENNIS AND
GOLF. HE WAS PROUD THAT HE WOULD WALK THE GOLF COURSE INSTEAD OF RIDING
IN A CART AND HIS AVERAGE SCORE FOR GOLF WAS AROUND 90. HE PLAYED BOTH
UNTIL HIS DEATH. DICK WAS ON THE ZONING BOARD FOR
WOOD COUNTY AND TREASURER FOR THE BUCKEYE SQUARES DANCE CLUB.
THEN AT AGE 73 DICK GOT ADDICTED TO ”PICKLE BALL” AND BEGAN TO PLAY
4-5 DAYS A WEEK. HE STARTED A GROUP THROUGH GRACE UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH WHERE TAUGHT PICKLE BALL TO PEOPLE WANTING TO LEARN IT.
HIS TRAVELS TOOK HIM TO VIET NAM, JAPAN, MEXICO, CANADA, GUAM, THE
BAHAMAS, HAWAII, PLUS MANY MAINLAND STATES BUT HIS FAVORITE VACATION
SPOTS WERE DISNEY WORLD, FLORIDA, MAINE (EATING LOBSTER), AND IN
MICHIGAN CHARLEVOIX ,HARBOR SPRINGS, AND PETOSKY.
AT AGE 68 DICK SUGGESTED TO HIS WIFE, JOANNE, THAT THEY TAKE SQUARE
DANCE LESSONS. SO THEY COMPLETED BASIC MAIN STREAM / PLUS LESSONS
AND JOINED THE BUCKEYE SQUARE CLUB. THEY LOVED SQUARE DANCING ,
MEETING NEW DANCERS, AND GOING TO CONVENTIONS. SOME YEARS THEY DANCED
AT 70 DANCES IN VARIOUS CITIES IN OHIO AND MICHIGAN.
DICK WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS LAWRENCE AND ROSALIE KELSEY AND HIS SISTER IN LAW, GRETE KELSEY. THOSE LEFT TO CHERISH HIS MEMORY ARE: HIS WIFE , JOANNE, BROTHER DON KELSEY, JOANNE’S DAUGHTER, ELAINE (MARK) THIEMAN WITH HER TWO SONS — CHASE (AMBER) KEELER AND COLE KEELER– SISTER IN LAW JILL(ED) BURGESS, 8 GRANDCHILDREN AND 10 GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. GRANDSON TRISTEN (TAYLOR) PIERSON ,GRANDSON BROOKE (HOLLY) PIERSON, DICK’S TWO NIECES, PAM (MIKE)KELSEY-GOSSARD AND DONNA(MARK) KINNEY,AS WELL AS THEIR FIVE CHILDREN AND THREE GRANDCHILDREN AND FRIENDS DICK AND SYLVIA GOEKE, KURT (LAURA) MILLER, JIM (BETTY LOU MILLER) , DANIEL AND HELEN BRIDGE WITH THEIR THREE CHILDREN AND HIS BEST FRIEND, ROB (MARLENE) SIZEMORE.
A PRIVATE SERVICE FOR THE FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS HAS BEEN PLANNED.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS PLEASE PICK YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY IN DICK’S HONOR. DICK’S FAVORITE CHARITY WAS THE VIETNAM VETS.
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