Julia Jones Kelly

Julia Elizabeth Jones Kelly, 103, passed away on Saturday, January 13, 2018, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born May 20, 1914 in Seaboard, North Carolina, to Mollie Stephenson and Edwin Waldemar Jones. With the exception of a few years, Mrs. Kelly spent most of her life in Savannah. She was a member of Epworth United Methodist Church and attended the Cathedral and Sacred Heart Catholic churches with her family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard J. Kelly;
her sons, Richard E. Kelly and Robert S. Kelly; her granddaughter, Susan P. Whalen and her grandsons Robert S. Kelly, Jr., Michael Foster, and Christopher N. Janda; great-granddaughter Kelly Foster; her brothers William N. and Edwin W. Jones and sisters, Nannie Jones, and Mary Edenfield Rahn.
Mrs. Kelly graduated from The Medical College of Virginia in 1939 with a degree in nursing. In Savannah, she worked as a nurse with the Public Health Department and was assigned as the school nurse to Henry Street School. After leaving the Health Department, she taught nursing at Candler Hospital and then worked as a nurse in the Ob/Gyn Clinic at Hunter Field. She retired from there in 1973.
Mrs. Kelly was a strong, determined, kind, and compassionate person who gave of herself to anyone who needed her. She saw the beauty in all she met and in the world around her. She loved music and sang in choirs throughout Savannah. She was a talented artist, an exceptional seamstress, and could tell many stories of her childhood and her nursing career. She loved her family and took great pride in her children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughter, Patricia K. Whalen and son-in-law, Thomas J. Whalen; two daughters-in-law, Joeann Kelly and Anne Kelly; grandchildren, Michelle Kelly, Richard Kelly (Patricia), Joseph Kelly (DeeDee), Thomas Whalen (Zdena), Stephen Whalen (Laura), Charles Whalen (Jennifer), Mary Beth Whalen Janda , Michael Whalen (Beth), & Julie Kelly; 15 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren. Surviving are her sisters Miriam Ekhoff and Lucille Robertson, and sister-in-law Clara Nysewander; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm at Baker McCullough Funeral Home, 7415 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Savannah, GA 31406.
The family would like to thank the dedicated staff of Azalealand Nursing Home for their care, love and compassion. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you spend quality time with the elderly or make a donation in Mrs. Kelly's memory to a charity of your choosing.