The Anchorage Times, Monday, August 22, 1977
By BARBARA ROGERS
Times Staff Writer
A long-time Alaskan and top Reeve Aleutian Air-ways pilot, Cletus "Pat" Kelly, was killed Saturday night as he walked along the Parks Highway near Nenana.
Kelly, who flew the Aleutian Island route more years than any other pilot, was struck by a motorist as he and his son, Timothy, walked along the shoulder of the highway, Nenana Police Chief Wayne Walters said this morning.
A truck driver and rescue personnel attempted to revive the 57-year-old man, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Walters said Kelly and his son had just flown into Nenana Airport and were walking north toward the village on the right side of the road when a car driven by Joyce Lane Ard of Columbus, Ga., struck him from behind.
Kelly was thrown nearly 38 feet and landed on his head before traveling some distance further, Walters said.
The Ard vehicle was traveling 40 to 50 miles per hour when it struck Kelly, Walters said. The unmarked roadway was newly-paved, Walters said,, and was nearly 40 feet wide with space for bike lanes.
Kelly was wearing a red and white plaid shirt and dark trousers when the accident occurred shortly after 10:15 p.m., Walters said. Weather conditions were clear, but dark, the chief said.
No charges have been filed against Ms. Ard, Walters said. The police chief said he is completing his investigation and will turn his report over to the district attorney's's office for a decision on prosecution.
Ms. Ard is in Alaska visiting her parents in Anchorage, the chief said.
The victim and his son were on their way to a mine with a part to repair some equipment they had stopped in Nenana for the night, Walter said.
Kelly, who came to Alaska with the U.S. Air Force during World War II, began flying for Reeve Aleutian Jan. 1, 1949, after he left the military.
He was the senior captain and ranked number one in seniority, a Reeve's spokesman said this morning.
He was the recipient of many awards, including the Public Service Commendation last year from the U.S. Coast Guard for his courage and initiative in delivering essential supplies to remote stations in Aleutian and Pribilof Islands.
Born in Utica, Ill., on July 1, 1920, Kelly lived at 1530 W. 13th Ave. in Anchorage.
His survivors include his wife, JoAnn Maria Kelly; three sons, David, Timothy and Steven; and two daughters, Kathleen and Theresa, all of Anchorage; a sister, Mary Biers, of Mendota, Ill. and two brothers, Thomas of Mendota and Francis of Steamboat Springs, Calif.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Evergreen Memorial Chapel.