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Donald Patrick Kelley

January 25, 1933 — March 28, 2023

Rio Rancho

D. Patrick Kelley, 90, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, died suddenly Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.

Mr. Kelley was born January 25, 1933, in Highland Park, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Deerfield. He served proudly in the United States Marine Corps in Camp LeJeune, San Diego, Treasure Island and abroad in the Mediterranean, participating in NATO fleet exercises in 1954.

He earned his bachelors degree in mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a masters degree in information science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

During his career in computer technology, at System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, he designed and programmed portions of the BUIC Air Defense program in early assembly languages, and he applied technology to problems in commerce and medicine for EDP Technology, in Atlanta, GA. He served as the director of Data General’s Small Business Systems laboratory in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. There he was best known for the development of the ECLIPSE based IDEA software project. He was a member of the Association of Computing Machinery, heavily focused on software.

He was a sailor and an enthusiastic fan of IMSA and SCCA auto racing, a talented woodworker and a member of the New Mexico Woodturners Association.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ferdinand and Hilda Kelley, sister Elaine LaBelle, and brother Earl Kelley. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Nancy Orndorff Kelley of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, his brothers David Kelley (Jean) of Fredericksburg, VA, and Bruce Kelley (Judy) of Las Cruces, NM, and their children and grandchildren.

A Memorial Service in his honor will be held for his family and friends at a later date at The Neighborhood in Rancho Rio, Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Those so desiring may make contributions to a favorite charity.

“When he shall die, take him

And cut him out in little stars

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with the night

And pay no worship to the garish sun.”