Charles Raymond Kelley

Charles Raymond Kelley, Charlie, was born June 27, 1938 to Harold Raymond Kelley and Martha Langer Kelley in Camden, New Jersey. In elementary school the family moved to Doylestown, Pennsylvania, which positioned him to grow up in church and high school with his future bride, Loraine Simons, whom he married August 17, 1963, before their final year of medical school. Charlie’s love for Loraine was second only to his love for God, and together Charlie and Loraine found deep joy in befriending and serving the people around them.

As a young man Charlie wanted to know God and began a lifelong rhythm of daily Bible reading & prayer. These practices spurred him on to a life characterized by loving God, and loving and serving people. They also impacted his choices for the rest of his life. His academic work at Penn State University and Jefferson Medical College prepared him to serve and train at Nangrahar Medical School in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in 1965 with his wife Loraine, 16 month Lois, and 5 week Ruth. This two year journey with Peace Corps fostered relationships that led them to Indianapolis for residencies and to long-lasting deep roots there. 

Charlie served on Indiana University Faculty in General Medicine and loved training physicians. He often commented that he never had a bad day at work. Working side by side with colleagues he loved, he found great contentment and joy in seeing patients, getting to know them, and meeting their needs. Further international engagements, serving people physically and building relationships interspersed the rest of his professional career. Continuing Medical Education trips served physicians practicing overseas. The IU-Kenya program (which later grew into AMPATH Global) allowed Charlie and Loraine to spend a year at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya serving alongside Kenyan and American residents and faculty. In addition to their international service, for decades Charlie and Loraine hosted medical students and residents for regular dinners and Bible studies, and they served in many different roles in their church and local community.

Charlie’s diverse interests kept him energized and engaged with many people and service pursuits, such as Army National Guard, Christian Medical and Dental Association, International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, MedSend, and the Walker Foundation. Respites at Bear Lake, Michigan refreshed his spirit to keep serving. Cherished mentoring relationships spanned decades and were characterized by his love for deep conversations. He loved trying new exploits. Some of these included rollerblading, fishing, sailing, drawing cartoons, wind surfing, and reading aloud. Many of these were inspired by his desire to deeply engage with his grandchildren. He always cherished time with Loraine, his daughters, sons-in-law, grandkids, great grandkids, and extended family; and he prayed for them and with them faithfully and joyfully.

Charlie is survived by Loraine, his wife of 61 years; their daughters Lois (and Joe) Conway and Ruth (and Peter) Goetz; their grandchildren Jon (and Alissa) Conway, Becky Conway, Rachel (and Tylor) Alexander, Joel Goetz, and Anna Goetz; their great grandchildren Kairos, Ru, Maris, and George Alexander, and Charley Marie Conway. He is predeceased by his older brother Fred Kelley who is survived by his wife Eleanor.

Even when Charlie recognized his body was failing, he pushed himself to continue walking 5 miles a day. He frequently quoted and clung to 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” His daily time in Bible reading and prayer alone and with Loraine empowered him to continue to pour into people he cared for deeply into his final days. Charlie eagerly anticipated the King coming for him and freeing him for full and perfect worship. This reunion occurred at 1:15pm October 22, 2024 at home in Indianapolis, surrounded by family.

The service to celebrate Charlie’s life will be October 31, 2024 at 3pm at Faith Church (9125 North College Ave, Indianapolis). Livestream of the service will be available at faithchurchindy.online.church

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to any of the following.

AMPATH Kenya (ampathkenya.org) is a partnership between Indiana University and Moi University that provides a multi-pronged approach to communities’ well-being, including healthcare, nutrition, vocational skills, and more. 

MedSend’s National Scholars (medsend.org) is a Christian program that helps remove financial barriers to the training of national healthcare professionals in countries of greatest need.

Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS, abtslebanon.org) in Beirut, Lebanon is training women and men of 19 different nationalities in theology for the Middle East, with an emphasis on ministries of compassion to people of all faiths including housing refugees on the seminary campus.