David Gibson Kelley

Henderson, Nevada – David Gibson Kelley, 87, passed away October 1, 2024, at 3:37 p.m.

He was born February 21, 1937, in St. Louis Missouri to Paul Estes Kelley and Lily Pauline Gibson. He married Ana Leon Guerrero Waki on August 11, 1962, in Agana, Guam.

 From an early age, Dave was a leader. During a Boy Scout Jamboree when Dave was 12, he visited California. He recommended to his father that they immediately move. Dave’s family moved from St. Louis Missouri to Glendale, California, as soon as his father was able to transfer states. Dave loved living in California most of his life, except for his four years in the Navy, where he met his lovely wife Ana, at the Navy Exchange on Guam, and one year in Dayton, Ohio. He enjoyed a quintessential California lifestyle that included sailing, skiing, fishing, hiking, whale watching and Dodger baseball.

 Dave went to Hoover High School in Glendale, UC Berkeley (Cal) for his Bachelor of Business, UCLA for his MBA, and was a Lt. J.G. in the Navy Supply Corps. Dave got his start in the business forms industry working with his father at Standard Register Company. Dave decided to go out on his own in 1974 and started Integrated Business Systems. Many of his Standard Register customers asked to follow him on his new venture. He worked, mentored, and changed lives in the business forms industry until he decided to retire in 1994, and focus on his real estate ventures. Dave was the youngest licensed Realtor in the state of California. He passed the licensing test at 19, but had to wait until his 21st birthday to receive the official document. 

 Not only was he an astute businessman, Dave believed in investing in the future, both people and the planet. His favorite charities were Hillsdale College, and the Marine Conservancy. He enjoyed teaching his granddaughter’s Girl Scout troop how to be entrepreneurs, set goals and achieve them, setting records for cookie sales in the 90’s.

 When Dave wasn’t working, he enjoyed baseball, fishing, camping, skiing and travelling. After travelling all over the U.S., he planned trips to the U.K., Europe, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Africa, and many other exotic locales. Dave loved learning about the countries they visited and trying new local foods. Dave, an accomplished fisherman, loved to fly fish. He would join other friends, at Rock Island in Kamloops Canada every year for an annual rainbow trout derby. His award-winning fish is still drawn on the wall there. He passed down his love of travel to his daughter Kim and his love of fly fishing to his granddaughter Ashton. He was such an amazing man, there are not enough words or pages to describe his accomplishments, or how much he will be missed.

Dave Kelley is survived by his loving wife Ana who was with him when he passed away in Henderson Nevada, daughter Kim Kelley Mekelburg , who lives nearby and granddaughter Ashton Kelley Broman who lives in Lexington Kentucky, he is survived by his brother Stephen A Kelley, who lives in Thornton Colorado. He was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Pauline.

 Due to the unique nature of this memorial, if you wish to send flowers in lieu of attendance, please contact Kris at Boulder City Florist at 702-293-3597 or email her at sales@bouldercityflorist.com.