Thomas Kelley

Thomas Alan Kelley passed away on March 1, 2024, peacefully in his sleep.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Marlene, and his son, George, as well as his sister Patricia Cravey (nephew James and niece Jenice) and his niece, Michele.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Teresa, and his brother Jim.

Tom was born on December 5, 1942, in Flint, MI and moved to Los Alamos as a young boy. He graduated from Los Alamos High School as valedictorian and started his early college years at Rice University, studying mathematics before entering the Dominican seminary for 2 years. He arrived at the University of New Mexico, where he finished his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and continued as a graduate student, becoming a Master and PhD in Mathematics. While at UNM he met life-long friends as well as his future wife, Marlene.

He loved to learn and was an avid bibliophile. He loved reading the Pulitzer Prize winning novels and anticipated each winner every year. He enjoyed playing tennis and square dancing with Marlene and friends. He loved to travel to national square dance festivals while enjoying tours in each city.

 Tom spent many years teaching math classes at UNM-LA while working at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a computer software programmer. When he taught statistics, he constantly scoured the newspaper for material for his classes. He received numerous distinguished performance awards from LANL and was the Zia award recipient in 2004 from the UNM Alumni Association. After retiring from LANL he enrolled at St. John’s College in Santa Fe and earned a Master of Liberal Arts for the pure enjoyment of learning in of itself.

A graveside columbarium service will be scheduled at Guaje Pines Cemetery of Los Alamos at a later date. Please check here for updates, and to leave pictures, stories, and condolences for the family.