Diana Charleson Kelley, of Wellesley Hills, died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on October 3, 2023. She was 98.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland on July 26, 1925, Diana moved to England during World War II. She survived the Blitz, graduated from McGill University in Canada, and earned a degree in physical therapy at the Mayo Clinic. She served in the Army Air Corps as a physical therapist, helping wounded service members recover from their injuries suffered during the War. Diana worked at the Warm Springs, GA polio clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital before earning a Master of Science in Pharmacology from the Boston University School of Medicine. After working as a medical researcher at New York Hospital, Diana moved back to Boston where she met her future husband, Robert “Bob” Long Kelley. Diana and Bob were married in 1955 in New York City.
The Kelleys lived in Mineral Wells, TX and Lexington, MA, before settling in Wellesley Hills, MA, in 1964 where they raised their five children. A prolific volunteer, Diana served as a Girl Scout leader and for more than 25 years volunteered at Newton - Wellesley Hospital. Diana was a professional medical document translator, the proud author of a published short story for children, and a tremendous cook. After a busy day, Diana often spent her evenings knitting and the sweaters she created are cherished by her family as are the pink and blue booties worn by the babies of her family and friends through the years.
Diana adored her children and grandchildren and shared her passion for skiing, gardening, classical music and traveling with them. Diana taught her children to ski on the icy slopes of Stratton Mountain in Vermont and later enjoyed annual family ski trips to Europe taking her last run in the shadow of the Matterhorn with her daughters at age 90. She spent her summers in the garden and visitors usually left with a basket full of fresh produce crowned by her legendary tomatoes and, if lucky, a loaf of her delicious zucchini bread. Her children and grandchildren always treasured an invitation to join her at a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert and looked forward to the family camping trip to Tanglewood each July to celebrate her birthday. Diana loved to travel, whether it was sailing with Bob in Buzzards Bay, walking the Camino de Santiago with Gail, or exploring Bulgaria with all three daughters, the hours she spent pouring over the pages of a Fodors Travel Guide to plan each trip always resulted in the perfect adventure.
Diana is survived by her husband, Bob, her five children (Sharon, Gail, Bruce, Maureen, and Craig), and ten grandchildren. There will be a Memorial Service on Monday, November 20th at 2:00 pm at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 258 Concord St, Newton, MA to celebrate the life and legacy of this amazing woman.