Stephen L. Kelley

Stephen L. Kelley, age 63, of Oak Ridge, passed away Wednesday evening, February 21, 2018. Steve was born in Harriman on November 25, 1954, to George Kelley and Ruth Allion Kelley. He attended Roane County High School and served in the Navy for 3 years. In 1984 he married Renee Rickard; they had three sons. As a self-taught computer programmer, he joined his father in Scientific Endeavors, a software development company. He went on to get a degree in Business Administration from Tusculum College and worked on cutting-edge software in several companies, most recently Third Dimension Technologies. He was a past president of the Humane Society of East Tennessee, a past president of the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Roane County Democratic Party. He was serving on the Roane County Commission at the time of his death. Steve loved many things - boating, swimming, singing, making pancakes or chocolate chip cookies, being silly, playing cards - and most of all, his family. He was tremendously proud of his children and never missed a chance to tell stories about them. He never spoke of his wife without love. He was central to family reunions and holiday gatherings, filling the room with facts, stories, politics, laughter, opinions, and hugs. He was a man of strong beliefs, and he put his values into action as a civil servant as well as a role model for his friends and family. He is survived by his wife, Renee Rickard Kelley; his three sons: Will (and his wife Sarah) of Kingston, Sam (and his partner Hannah Bebb), and Ben, both of Oak Ridge; his mother, Ruth Kelley, currently of Lenoir City; his brother, David Kelley, of Atlanta; his four sisters, Becky Brown (and husband Bill), Janet Kelley (and partner Joe Driggers), Jean West (and husband Larry), and Laura Ousley (and husband Ted); and myriad nieces, nephews, and cousins. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27th at Kyker Funeral Home, 350 W. Race St., in Kingston. A memorial service will follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Steve's memory to the Special Olympics.

Stephen L. Kelley

November 25, 1954 - February 21, 2018