Kelley, Judge James P. 1910-1995

KELLEY, PEARCE, REIDY

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/3/2008 at 19:58:18

JUDGE JAMES P. KELLEY

LE MARS, Iowa—James P. Kelley, 85, of LeMars, a district court judge from 1962 until his retirement in 1985, died Thursday, Nov. 30, 1995, at a Sioux City hospital following a brief illness.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church in LeMars, with the Rev. Richard Ries officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 2 p.m. Sunday with a Scriptural wake service at 7 p.m. and a Knights of Columbus rosary at 8 p.m. at the Feuerstein Funeral Home.

Judge Kelley was born April 25, 1910, in LeMars, the son of James E. and Charlotte (Pearce) Kelley. He graduated from LeMars High School in 1927 and obtained his bachelor of arts degree from the Liberal Arts College of the University of Iowa in 1931, and graduated from the University’s College of Law in 1934. He was admitted to Iowa law practice in 1934 and the U.S. District Court for the Iowa Northern District. Judge Kelley began his legal practice in LeMars in 1934 and served as part-time city attorney from 1946 to 1962. On June 12, 1940, he married Helen Reidy in Akron, Iowa. She died Oct. 9, 1983. Judge Kelley served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant in World War II from 1943 to 1945. On Aug. 29, 1962, the governor appointed him to serve as a district court judge. He was appointed chief judge in 1969. In 1985, Judge Kelley retired.

Judge Kelley was a member of St. James Catholic Church. He was the former president of the Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and Adults. He served as chairman of the Building Committee for Camp Sunnyside near Des Moines. Judge Kelley was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Trinity Council 1466 and a member of the Elks.

Survivors include four sons and their wives, James and Carol of Lincoln, Neb., Michael and Jennifer of Miami, Fla., Patrick and Halina of Oakland, Calif., and John of Madison, Wis.; three daughters and their husbands, Nora and Frederick of Rapid City, S.D., Mary and Michael of Dubuque, Iowa, Ann and Vijayan of Denton, Texas; a sister, Kathleen Lentz of LeMars; seven grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

He was also preceded in death by a brother, Robert F. Kelley.

Memorials may be given in his name to the Easter Seal Society of Iowa in Des Moines.

~Source: The Sioux City Journal
~Part of the D. Easton Obituary Collection