IN MEMORIAM: Barbara Ann Kelly ’80

The Rev. Barbara Ann Kelley, Class of 1980, died at her home in Southampton, PA on February 22, 2023 at the age of 68.

Born in New York on November 3, 1954, Kelly was the daughter of Arthur F. Kelley (deceased) and Dorothy W. Kelley with whom she shared her last years of illness. She is survived by her mother, brother, Arthur F. Kelley, Jr., sister-in-law, Denise (Leonard) Kelley, nephew Brian, niece Allison, and her beloved dog, Paige.

Kelly graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. from Lawrence University in Wisconsin, earned a Master's in Geology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before receiving her Masters in Theology from General. She was ordained a Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island in 1980 and as an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of Philadelphia in 1981, being one of the early women ordained in the Episcopal Church. Kelly served as the interim minister in fifteen parishes in the diocese before being selected to be the Rector of St. James, Langhorne where she served from 2008-2020 before retiring.

In her spare time, she participated in Earthwatch expeditions in Wyoming, Kentucky, Iceland, and Africa, and travelled extensively both by herself and with her mother. She enjoyed many outdoor activities, including camping, rock climbing, and horseback riding.

Family and friends are invited to Barbara's Life Celebration Funeral Service at 2:00pm on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at St. James Episcopal Church, 330 South Bellevue Ave, Langhorne, PA 19047.

Interment will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Great Neck, NY.