Dorothy E. Kelley

Dorothy Elizabeth (Volk) Kelley passed away on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 in Broken Arrow, OK. She was born to Howard and Ernestine Volk on March 20, 1930 in Bucyrus, Ohio. Dorothy was the third of three children. She attended the local schools in Bucyrus graduating from Bucyrus High School in 1948 after completing a college preparatory curriculum. After graduation, she entered the 1951 nursing class at the University of Toledo and St. Luke's School of Nursing, graduating in 1951. She was licensed by the State of Ohio Nurses Board in 1951. Dorothy's first marriage was troubled and they were divorced. Dorothy retained custody of the three children. Dorothy later married Alton Roger Averyt in December 1961. He preceded her in death in April, 1972 in Tulsa, OK. Roger had adopted the three children, Charles Averyt, James Averyt and Karen Middleton. The children now have numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dorothy was licensed and practiced her profession in Ohio, California, New Mexico, Washington State and Oklahoma, working in a wide variety of nursing disciplines, from the Emergency Room to doctor's office, to perform insurance claim review's but most of her professional life was directed toward Occupational Health in the industrial world-working to keep the staff fit. Much of the professional life was with Cities Service Co in Tulsa, a major oil company. While employed there she obtained two additional degrees, a business degree from St. Joseph College, Standish, Maine and a Masters degree in nursing with her thesis on hereditary chemical dependency from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. She also had occupational health assignments in plants as diverse as an asphalt roofing shingle plant, and electronics assembly facility, and, as a last facility, the very large nuclear plant in Washington. Her last assignment was at Hanford Nuclear Plant in Richland, Washington starting in 1990 where she was the Medical Administrator with assignments in overall financial and reporting for the medical care of the plant's 15,000 employees, and a large staff of 54 nurses giving direct care to the plant's staff on a 24/7 basis. She retired in 1994. As part of her professional life, Dorothy was active in her professional association, the Occupational Health Administrators, including serving as President for two years. Dorothy and Ralph Kelley met while at Hanford and they were married in 1991. She is survived by her husband, Ralph and two children, Karen and Jim, grandchildren and great grandchildren, all living in Oklahoma. She was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church and most recently a member of the Our Savior Lutheran Church, in Tulsa, OK and Immanuel Lutheran in Broken Arrow. Funeral Service will be Friday, 10 a.m., November 1, 2019 at Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, 5111 S. Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK. Dorothy will be interred at Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Ft. Gibson, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-22333

Dorothy E. Kelley

March 30, 1930 - October 29, 2019