Obituary of Dana L. Kelly

Dana L. Kelly Dana L. Kelly lived his 52 years to the fullest before he passed away unexpectedly on November 23, 2011, the day before Thanksgiving, at his home in Olympia. Dana was born on January 24, 1959 in Spartanburg, SC to Mildred C. and Dan M. Kelly. He quickly showed the first signs of genius since his mother first taught him how to read at the age of 3. He never stopped reading, learning, and growing for the rest of his life. Dana joined the U.S. Navy upon graduating Paul M. Dorman high school in 1977 and earned a fellowship to study at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. A life-transforming experience, his years at Cornell University equipped him with his education in math and physics but also sowed the seeds of his sophisticated taste for life. Following his graduation from Cornell University with a double major, he trained and served in the U.S. Navy with the Seals in the Pacific. Upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, Dana held the position of Reliability Engineer at Long Island Lighting Co, from 1986 to 1988. He joined the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, ID in 1988 as a Senior Engineering Specialist until 1999. Dana earned a Master degree in Operations Research from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Most recently, in August 2011, he earned his PhD in Industrial Design from the Technische Universiteit of Einhoven in Holland. Dana returned to the Idaho National Laboratory in 2006 where he worked as a Distinguished Staff Scientist until the time of his death. Dana became the proud father to his only son Dylan on June 10, 1990 in Idaho Falls, ID in his first marriage to Elena Leon. He cherished photos of mountain climbing trips to the Tetons with toddler Dylan on his back wearing a bandana. He persistently and tenaciously maintained close contact with Dylan against all obstacles throughout his life, striving to be the best father he could be. He also remained a loving, dedicated, and supporting son to his father Dan, who lives in Bakersfield, CA. His mother, Mildred, who instilled in him the love for learning and a spirit of independence and resilience he was known for, passed away on November 2, 1992. Dana’s life-long passion was music. From the time he clumsily banged on a pair of toy drums to the time when he pursued a career in music with the same seriousness, tenacity, and professionalism as he was known to apply to everything he took on. He produced multiple recordings with bands as diverse as country, jazz, funk, blues, pop, and originals. He practiced relentlessly, through times good and hard, and he consistently carried a practice pad and drum sticks on his trips everywhere. Dana married his second wife Maria Bastaki on July 10, 2002, embracing her Greek culture and he was immediately embraced as a son with affection and love in his big Greek new family. The news of his death came to that family as a devastating shock and he is painfully missed and grieved by all back in Athens. When cancer shook up his life in January 2003 he stood as a giant against the odds and managed to find nuggets of personal growth in this devastating time. He beat cancer against the odds with amazing grace, optimism, and uninterrupted engagement with life across all aspects. He studied his cancer to incredible detail and read science journal articles as well as the statistics of his diagnosis. Above all, he discovered a new dimension of wisdom and he savored his conversations with Father O’Leary at Berkeley Cancer Center. Dana rose from the humble beginnings of his childhood to the most intelligent, talented, eclectic, and cosmopolitan person one can hope to meet. He loved living; he sought quality in all things small and large, from a pair of shoes or a tie, to a well bodied wine or a little known islay scotch, to a vacation in a priceless part of the world. He was eclectic in everything in his life, whether books, food, or music. He was an avid reader. He read everywhere, all the time, from best-seller paper backs at the airport to Shakespeare (he also kept a good dictionary on his reading table), and everything in between. Dana had a talent for languages; he spoke German comfortably and taught himself Russian and Greek, just so he can understand a conversation. A relentless scientific mind, he devoured the most challenging books on the nature of the universe and in fact enjoyed the reading experience. He read about religion and could hold an intelligent debate with well thought-out ideas, clarity, and perspective. He was a warrior for tolerance and he didn’t hesitate to challenge dogma, superstition, prejudice, or any idea that he thought was not well-grounded and he was a formidable opponent in social or professional exchanges. Dana was unique in so many ways, in “the tails of the distribution” as he put it himself. His sense of humor was sharp and quirky. He loved the color pink and never had a second thought about provoking his circle with pink shirts, ties, or …socks! Among the many other things he loved passionately were his basset hounds, his earlier Bensen and Kassie, and later Beethoven and Arnold. Dana repeatedly called Beethoven his hero for resorting to using his nose as support to run to his bowl of food when he had both his front legs broken, and for his canine friend’s tenacity in letting nothing deter him from getting what he wanted. Dana also loved cooking his way through the most exquisite recipes of the world, whether Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Greek, French, or a bowl of grits… He took on cycling just as passionately as everything else. Recently he adored playing golf, which he pursued with finesse but with equal attention to details and practice as he did with music, science, or any other pursuit. Dana had an unquenched desire to travel. He had already travelled all over Europe, Japan, Taiwan, China, and Korea and he was dreaming and planning travels all over the world, to India, Thailand, Africa, and elsewhere. He also dreamt of spending his retirement between places he loved, the high mountains and a small white-washed house on a Greek island. Dana fell in love with the mountains when he lived in Idaho Falls, ID and took to mountain climbing, always with passion. Although he was born in South Carolina, it is in the high mountains where he felt he belonged. In honoring his wishes, Dana’s ashes will be scattered on his beloved Tetons, soon after the snow melts away. Dana touched the lives of many friends and colleagues and his sudden and early death left a tremendous void in the lives of especially his wife Maria, son Dylan, and father Dan. A truly devastating, tragic loss. Due to the large distance across the country and beyond where so many friends, colleagues and other people he touched are located, this website will serve as his memorial and everyone is invited to share what Dana meant to their lives. Please consider a donation to a local charity in your area supporting music, animal rescue and shelters (ASPCA is one suggestion), or science education in honor of his memory. Please leave memories of Dana or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.