James Donaldson Kelley

James Donaldson Kelley, Jr. (known as Donnie to some and Don to others) died on December 29, 2024, in Akron, OH. The son of the late J.D. and Allie Mae Kelley, who died in 2012 and 2018, respectively, Don had been a resident of Akron for the last 51 years. He was preceded in death by a brother, Richard Dale Kelley, who died in 2009.

A native of Waynesville, NC, Don was a graduate of Tuscola High School (1969) and received his B.S. degree in Sociology from Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC) in 1973 and an M.S. from The University of Akron in 1975.

Don is survived by a sister, Reba Miller (Ron) of Raleigh, NC and a brother, William Terry Kelley (Christine) of Waynesville, NC as well as nieces Amy Cave of Raleigh, Crystal Ashler (Harrison) of Ft. Walton Beach, FL and nephews Will Miller of Raleigh and Jim Kelley of Waynesville. Additionally, left to mourn his passing are his two aunts, Vivian Kelley of Waynesville and Betty Abercrombie of Hendersonville, NC. He also is survived by several great nieces and nephews. And finally, his faithful cat Florence Vanderbilt Twombly (Flo for short or Kitten Kitten to Don) of the home.

Don was a social worker his entire career. Starting out working at Goodwill, Don worked for the Stark County Department of Jobs and Family Services starting in 1977 and spent almost 15 years there. He worked as a Child Protective Service Worker and was a supervisor of Child Abuse and Neglect Intervention.

He later transitioned to the Community AIDS Network of Summit County where he assisted homeless people with AIDS and families with housing and other needs. A big part of his job was writing grants to raise funds for the organization. In 2003 he was awarded the Akron Area Ryan White Consortium, Inc. Outstanding HIV/AIDS Service Award. In 2010, Don received the Akron Aids Collaborative Rose Hye Community Services Award.

Don enjoyed talking to his brother and sister on the phone in later years and was always interested in other members of the family. He enjoyed watching reruns of Law & Order and keeping up with current events. He was a wealth of information from stories about early family life to a breadth of knowledge on world history, high society and politics. He was a huge fan of Lady Gaga, who he had a chance to see live in Cleveland a few years ago.

The family would like to acknowledge Don’s wonderful neighbors, Tom and Dick, for their great care and support of Don over the last several years as well as many other friends that have helped him in various ways.

A memorial service for Don will be held on January 25, 2025, at St. Hilary Parish, 2750 West Market St., Fairlawn, OH with calling hours from 10-11am and prayer service at 11am. A later memorial service will be held at Francis Cove Methodist Church in Waynesville, NC and he will be interred at Greenhill Cemetery in Waynesville adjacent to his parents.

Memorials may be made to Gideon's International, P.O. Box 634. Waynesville, NC 28786.