Ronald David Kelley Sr.

September 10, 1943

   Ron was born in Pueblo Colorado while his dad John D was stationed at the army base in Colorado Springs where he met June Kennaday while she was working on base.  June and John D returned to Carlisle Kentucky where he was raised when Ron was only nine months old.  His dad bought a piece of land on state road 36 and they lived in a tent until he built a home for them to live in.  Ron’s dad later built a garage beside their house and added onto the house to open a business as a grocery and service station.  When Ron was five years old he fell out of a tree and broke his left arm in three places.  He was in the hospital in Lexington Kentucky for three weeks before he could come home.  After returning home he had to do therapy for several months and still lives with a left arm unable to extend all the way out.  Ron's father loved to fish and spent many summer days at the rivers near by setting trot lines and fishing them. From the time Ron was small his father and mother would take him to the river and spend several days at a time fishing. When he was young his parents would build a play pin out of sticks to keep him away from the water. I think this is why even now I love to fish and being around the water. Ron attended the Carlisle High School from the first grade thru the twelfth grade.  He helped his parents with the gas station and learned to work on cars and became good with his hands.  His parents lived outside of Carlisle and he enjoyed playing and hunting in the hillsides around where they lived.  He bought a horse when he was 12 years old and kept him on a neighbors farm and spent many days riding in the fields where he lived.  His father bought a small farm close by and Ron and his sister Carolyn would help harvest the crops.  His father later traded the farm for a cabin on a piece of land on Licking River and the family loved to spend most of their free times there.  Ron's teenage years he started helping  the local farmers harvest their crops and doing odd jobs. Ron always had money in his pockets because of working on the farms and he bought his first car when he was only fourteen. He continued this until he graduated.  By having a car so young ron was the only one to have a car that early he made friends with David Howard and Bobby Gaunce, and the three of them became great friends that has lasted to this day. His senior year he went to Washington, DC with his class mates and graduated in May 1961.  Because he was only seventeen when he graduated he couldn’t find a good paying job. He was told that most places couldn’t insure him until he turned eighteen.  Ron went to work for a meat processing plant that processed meat for farmers. His job was to process the sausage and hamburger.  He worked there for a short time when he cut off his little finger on his right hand.  He was off work for three months.  When he was able to return to work his job was no longer available so he went to work at Buntin’s Garage in Carlisle as an auto clean up person where he later worked in the auto parts department.  Ron was out one evening with his sister Carolyn when she interduced him to Betty Carol Fitzpatrick. It was love at first sight and Ron and Betty were married in Carlisle, Kentucky on April 6, 1963 at the Presbyterian Church on Broadway St.   After they were married Ron and Betty lived in a trailer on Myers Station Road in Carlisle, Kentucky.  In June of 1963 they moved into a house in Myers Station living there a short time before moving to a house in Carlisle in November 1963.  Their oldest daughter Lisa June was born on December 18, 1963 while they lived there.  In September of 1964 he moved to Georgetown to be closer to where he went to work at Stiohn Products where he deburred parts for IBM typewriters.  Their second daughters Anna Carol was born while they lived in Georgetown. After working there for about a year Ron enrolled into a four year Government Sponsored apprentice program as a Tool and Die maker.  To complete the program he had to have on the job experience and finish four years of Vocational School.  He went to Central Kentucky Vocational School and finished his apprenticeship in 1969.  Ron Moved to Lexington Kentucky in 1966. Their Son Ronald Jr. was born on June 9, 1966 in Lexington.  Ron and Betty had their house to burn in the summer of 1969 while visiting Betty's sister Sandy Thompson in Tampa Florida.  They lost everything except what they had with them.  Ron quit his job December 1969 and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana.  Ron and family lived with his sister Carolyn Curtis.  He went to work as a machinist at Midwest Bridge corp. January 8, !970 and moved into a apartment on Noland Ave.  and later  moving to an apartment on 10^th street in Indianapolis.  He went to work for Insley Manufacturing in May 1970 as a machinist/inspector and later became President of the local union. Ron and his family became members of the Wallace Street Presbyterian church. His three children Lisa, Anna and Ronald Jr. were baptized in the church on April 4, 1972. Ron and Betty bought their first house at 4031 North Irwin Street in August 1972. Ron quit Insley Mfg. in 1973 and went to work for Purdue University at Indianapolis as a Laboratory Technician in the School of Engineering Technology. Ron started coaching in a youth football league in 1975 and later became President /coach of the Lawerance youth football league. He was part of the league until he left in 1995. During this time he also coached a youth baseball league for three years.  In 1991 Ron along with five others and the assistance of the local schools organized a youth basketball program in the Lawrence schools which became very popular with the schools.  Ron worked for the University until July of 1978 where he quit because he wasn’t making enough to supply his family with their needs.  He went to work at National Aluminum as a maintenance man.  In August 1981 his oldest daughter moved out to become her own person and in 1982 married Christian Hunnicutt.  In the 80's Ron & Betty Took in foster kids. One of the foster kids, Steven Wayne Banks December 22-1980 – August 10-1981. Sherrie Jones moved in on Feburary-1982.  Sherrie stayed until she finished high school and went to medical school where she finished and moved out on her own.  In November 1981 Ron was approached by the university where he worked before and decided to return to work for them until he retired in 2004 at the age of 62.  Our youngest daughter Anna moved out in May 1983 after graduation and married Greg Wert.  In the early eighties Ron and Betty started riding motorcycles and spent all of their vacations on them.  On January 10, 1983 their first grandson was born to  Lisa Hunnicutt in Indianapolis, IN.  In July 1983 they and some friends took a trip from Indianapolis to Nova Scosa Canada.  In 1984 Ron’s wife Betty found out that she had a heart problem and had to adjust her life style.  Ron and Betty bought their first new motorcycle in May 1984. In 1985 Ron and Betty road motorcycles to northern Montana with friends. March 1987 Ron and some friends formed a motorcycle club.  It name was Central Indiana Riders motorcycle club.  Ron was elected as President and stayed in the club for several years.  In 1987 Ron & Betty rode Motorcycles to Colorado and visited the area where he was born.  In September, 1987 Ron found out his wife Betty was in the early stage of Multiple Sclerosis.  June 1988 Ron, Betty and friends Charley and Theresa Pritchard rode their motorcycles to Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans and Key West, Florida.  June 1989 Ron, Betty and friends Tom and Chris Collins rode their motorcycles to San Frisco, California and then on north to Roseburg, Oregon where we spent some time with some relatives on my mother June Kennaday side of family.  Ron and Betty bought a house and moved to 3925 Erickson Court in Indianapolis and moved into it after renting their house in May 1990.  They took a Motorcycle trip with friends Bill and Lisa Brant to Upper Peninsula of Michigan in June 1990.  Anna and Greg Wert gave Ron and Betty their second grandchild William Gregery Wert on June 25 1991. Three days later June 28, 1991 their third grandson James Michael Asbury was born to Lisa and Mike Asbury.  We rode their motorcycle to Cody, Wyoming in August of 1991 to a bike rally. Ron and Betty rented their home and bought a house at 3714 Luewan Dr. in Indianapolis and moved into it on March 1992.  Ron’s mother June moved in with him and Betty August 1992 where she lived until March of 2004 when she died after having a stroke.  On December 11, 1994 Anna and Greg Wert gave Betty and Ron their fourth Grand son Jonathan David Wert.  On September 15^th 1997 Ron lost his only son Ronald Jr. to a terrible accident and this took a lot out of him.  In June of 1998 Ron and Betty took a cruise With Betty’s Brother Terry and wife Karen to Hawaii and toured the Hawaiian Islands and Fanning Island. In October 2000 Ron and Betty took a Western Caribbean cruise to visit the Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel. In November of 2003 they took a cruise to the eastern Caribbean Islands. In November of 2004 Ron and Betty moved to Holiday Florida and now live at 5608 Riddle Rd. Ron moved to Florida to enjoy the nice weather and to do some fishing which he enjoys the most. They keep a camping trailer at Lake Monroe in Bloomington Indiana to spend time with family and friends that live in Indiana. In 2008 Ron and Betty started restoring a 27 foot boat that they had.