Mr. C.W. Kelley Jr.'s Obituary
Born March 21, 1921 in Matador, TX and passed away on September 17, 2007 at his daughter’s home in Fort Worth, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Winnie Golightly Kelley, and great-grandchild, Madison Kelley. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Frances Burkhalter Kelley; daughters, Jane Chapman (Ted) and Jean Menefee (John); son, Chuck Kelley (Linda); and nine grandchildren: Beth Jenkins, Michael Kerrigan, Kim Gore, Mark Menefee, Brian Kelley, Trey Kerrigan, Matt Chapman, Sherol Cusano, and Jeff Menefee; 14 great-grandchildren; and sisters, Winona Smith (O.B.) and Nita Carroll (Floyd). C.W. grew up in Amarillo and graduated in 1938 from Amarillo High School. He married his high school sweetheart in 1942. C.W. attended the University of Texas on a football scholarship and graduated in 1943 with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering. He worked in the oil fields in south Texas, living in Alice and Falfurrias until he moved his family to Dallas in 1951. He was Production Manager for several Dallas companies until 1963 when he founded his consulting company, C.W. Kelley, Jr., Inc, which specialized in field operations of drilling, completion, work overs, and other field problems. His field office was located in Canadian, Texas for more than 25 years. He was an expert in deep oil drilling, publishing several articles on the subject. In papers to his grandchildren, C.W. wrote of his profession, “I love every day of it!”. He was a Legion of Honor member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. He supported many organizations of the University of Texas and was a lifetime member of the Tejas Club. After retiring, C.W. was never seen without his U.T. cap! C.W. and Frances have been members of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church for 55 years. C.W.’s hard work and engineer’s attention to detail was a wonderful example to his family and everyone who knew him. He also passed on his love of fishing and family trips. He loved to take his family to Crested Butte each winter where he made quite a statement on the slopes in his 6’2″ frame dressed in his day glo winter jumpsuit, ear flap hat, and matching ski boots! C.W.’s quiet sense of humor brought joy to everyone who knew him. Special thanks is extended to his caretakers, Tamra Dossey and Sharron Regan and Covenant Hospice for all their kindness.
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