Thomas Eugene "Tim" Kelly

Thomas Eugene was known as "Tim" by everybody, including his parents, with the exception of St. Peter and the Internal Revenue Service. On Monday, November 24, 2025, his soul flew away with the Angels. His smile and Irish humor will be missed by everyone who knew him. The son of Eugene and Ann (Vollmer) Kelly was born on May 30, 1935, in Wichita, Kansas. He is survived by his loving wife Judy Kelly of 25 years, daughter Elizabeth (Paul) Vennekens-Kelly in Tisselt, Belgium, son Sean (Diane) Kelly in St. Petersburg, Florida; children Christopher and Rebecca Rayner of Albuquerque. Tim is survived by awesome grandchildren; granddaughters Alanna (Daron) Spence and Bridget Kelly, grandsons Thomas (Tiffini) Kelly and Kevin (Carley) Kelly, and step-grandchildren Dillon Borden, Ethan and Allelia Staley of Albuquerque, and Aiden, Daine, Andie, Indea, and Danie (Keira) DeVore of St. Petersburg, Fl., many nieces, and nephews. Tim was preceded in death by his first wife Rose Malone Kelly, son Hugh, as well as his sisters Colleen Kelly Johnston of Wichita, Kansas, and Mary Ann McCabe of Seal Beach, California.

Tim served in Tank Company, 23rd Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Territory of Alaska from 1955 to 1957 and fulfilled is reserve responsibility in 1961.

Tim received a B.S. in geology from the University of Dayton and a M.S. in geology from the University of Kansas. During the summers he worked in the Kansas oil fields as a roughneck. He was hired by Standard Oil of Texas and assigned as a Development Geologist on off-shore drilling rigs. "Dangerous? Maybe, but the pay was good, and the fishing was great!" He worked as a Hydrologist for the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey in North Dakota and New Mexico. Tim established Geohydrology Associates, Inc. in Albuquerque as a consulting firm specializing in the design of large capacity municipal and industrial water wells, water resources, and environmental issues. He frequently served as an Expert Witness on ground-water contamination and environmental issues in various courts in Texas and New Mexico. In one case he testified against the City of Odessa, Texas. The City's wastewater treatment system had failed and heavy rains had spread the waste. A local farmer sued because his cotton patch was sprinkled with condoms.

In 1998 Tim received the Erasmus Haworth Award as Distinguished Alumni Honors in Geology from the University of Kansas. More than 50 technical reports were published under the by-line of T. E. Kelly. He represented Mineral County on Colorado's Southwest Water Conservation District Board of Directors from 2005 to 2013 while residing in their mountain home near Pagosa Springs. He frequently used a snowmobile in order to attend meetings of the Board.

Following his retirement, Tim and Judy moved to their log "castle" near Pagosa Springs, CO. Surrounded by national forest, it was a 4-mile snowmobile ride to town in the winter. They traveled extensively to Alaska, Peru, the Holy Land, as well as many parts of Europe, including Ireland and Scotland while visiting their daughter in Belgium. They also made an annual winter trip to Mazatlán, Mexico. When age and snow caught up with them, Judy and Tim returned to their beloved ABQ with their family.

On his 85th birthday, he tweeted "My Bucket List is empty-I have already been there, done that!"

Tim was proud of his Irish heritage. His family history has been traced back 40 generations. According to the Genealogical Office in Dublin, Ireland, Kelly is the name of a Clan of Irish Lords. He was an avid fly-fisherman, hunter, licensed pilot with an Instrument Rating, certified SCUBA diver, wood carver, and a poor golfer. He made many pin-and-ink sketches of the Navajo country and Southwest.

A funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 9:30am at Risen Savior Catholic Community. His remains will be buried in Wichita Kansas with his grandparents, parents, and son. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Good Shepherd Center, Albuquerque.