Ramona Kelly, 87, of Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Elkhart, West Lafayette and Cutler, Ind., passed away on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, at her home with her daughter, Kathy, at her side.

Ramona was born on Aug. 16, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Carl and Rose (Evans) Clem. She married the love of her life, Dale Edward Kelly, on Sept. 27, 1953, in Delphi, Ind.; together they celebrated 69 years of marriage. He preceded her in death on Nov. 17, 2022.

Ramona graduated from Delphi High School and attended nursing school in Lafayette, Ind. She retired from Elkhart General Hospital after 27 years of dedicated service as a nursing assistant in the nursery. She and her husband attended Faith United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Goshen. She was very active in service, including clothing drives for the Indiana Mental Health Association and Westville Mental Hospital, local food banks, and mission projects for FUMC including work in Haiti to build clean water wells and a school, while further working to furnish the school with educational materials and books. She received special recognition from that Haitian village for her decade of work there.

Ramona is survived by her children, Michael Kelly (Claire) of Lake in the Hills, Ill., and Kathy Kelly of Phoenix, Ariz.; grand-children, Jordan Kathleen Kelly, Brian Kelly (Rachel), Elizabeth Loy (Andrew) and Patrick Kelly; and great-grandchildren, Shealyn Banas, Saoirse Banas, Sibeal Banas, Ruarc Banas and Marius Loy.

She was also preceded in death by her parents; sons, Edward Kelly (Barbara) and Richard Kelly (Lori); and brothers, Quentin Clem (Dorothy) and Jim Clem (Doris).

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 6, at Faith United Methodist Church, 22045 CR 18, Goshen, Ind. 46528, where visitation will be from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. at the church, followed by a memorial service at 2:30. Pastor John Hoggsett will officiate.

Ramona was laid to rest at Ball Hill Cemetery, Cutler.

Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Elkhart, 54687 CR 19, Bristol, IN 46507, www.humanesociety.org/donate.

Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone, Blvd, Elkhart, IN 46514 is assisting the Kelly family. Online condolences may be made to the Kelly family at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com