Richard Michael Kelly
KNOXVILLE - Dr. Richard Michael Kelly, of Knoxville, TN died on May 27, 2023. He was 86. A native
New Yorker, he was born to Bernard and Anna Kelly on March 16, 1937. He was a graduate of Stuyvesant
High School (1955) and City University of New York
(1959) in New York City, and received his MA (1961) and PhD (1965) in English from Duke University, Durham, NC.
Richard joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee in 1965 where he taught Victorian literature and the writing of poetry. In addition to research and teaching, Richard edited Tennessee Studies in Literature for many years and directed the graduate program. He was first awarded the Lindsay Young Professorship in 1988 and became professor emeritus upon his retirement in 2005.
Richard was a prolific researcher and author having written and edited more than 20 publications. These include books on Douglas Gerald, George Du Maurier, Daphne Du Maurier, Graham Greene and V.S. Naipaul. He published an edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and produced a highly regarded book on Lewis Carroll. Richard edited Kingsley’s Water Babies and Dickens’ Christmas Carol which included materials about the social conditions of the Victorian times. His interests extended from the written word to cartoons, illustrations, and drawings which led to the publication of the Best of Mr. Punch, The Art of George Du Maurier and a second collection of drawings and illustrations from Punch. The most widely known of these publications is The Andy Griffith Show, a 1981 study of the wholesome humor and life in the mythical hometown of Mayberry, North Carolina, connected to his academic work by his consistent interest in the humorous. This book helped spark the widespread popularity of the show and the establishment more than 1,000 Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers groups worldwide. Honoring many summers and gatherings spent with family at Holden Beach, North Carolina, he coauthored The Carolina Watermen: Bughunters and Boatbuilders with his wife, Barbara, in 1994 as a tribute to the hard-working people they met there who built the boats and shrimped the coastal waterways.
In addition to writing, he was a self-taught artist whose work in watercolor reflected the things that he appreciated most: ships, the sea, the seasons, and stillness in wilderness and nature. He maintained his connection and care to all things living throughout his life: watering the garden, feeding the birds, and appreciating the wildlife right outside his front door on a daily basis. Nothing gave Richard more joy and contentment than being with his family and his pets (most recently Daphne and Oliver). Gentle, kind, caring, creative, effortlessly generous, and brilliantly funny; he gifted multiple generations with love, laughter, and a lifetime of memories. He is survived by his adoring wife of 62 years, Barbara; and his nieces and nephews Louis (Blanca) Garza, David (Gina) Garza, Joan (Michel) Del Hoyo, Michael Scheidt, Johnny (Dell) Watson, Janice (Norm) Engeland; and his grand nieces and nephews Alexandra, Louis, Amanda, Mia, Cylas, Pine, and Riven. He is predeceased by his brother, Bernard Kelly; his sisters Anna Watson, Dorothy Scheidt, and Margaret Kelly; and his niece, Tyra Engeland.
A memorial service for Richard will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023 at Church of the Savior (934 N Weisgarber Road, Knoxville, TN 37909) with Rev John Gill presiding. Family will receive friends at 4:30 pm. Service will be at 5:30 pm. Reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s honor and memory can be made to Knoxville CAC PAWS (Placing Animals with Seniors) and Feed-A-Pet (https://www.knoxseniors.org/support-paws/ , 2247 Western Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37921 or the cause of your choice.