Genie Rae O’Kelley
LANSDALE - Genie Rae (Slocum) O’Kelley, age
96, passed away on September 18, 2023 at Brittany
Pointe Estates in Lansdale, PA, ending a life welllived, full of her passion for flying, teaching, travel, and adventures with family and friends.
In her heart, Genie Rae always felt her calling was as an educator, and she taught elementary school in Alabama, California, and Tennessee, before taking some flying lessons in the 1960’s which turned her personal goals toward a new love for aviation.
Genie Rae grew up mostly in Birmingham, Alabama, where she sang on public radio as a teen, traveled widely with her family, and later attended Howard College (now Samford University) where she met G. Davis (“Dave”) O’Kelley. Genie Rae and Dave began their married life in Berkeley, CA, where Dave obtained a Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry and Genie Rae taught elementary school. Later while living in Knoxville, TN, Genie Rae raised her children, taught elementary school, led a Girl Scout troop, and involved herself in local garden clubs and civic activities. Yet once she learned to fly, her attention shifted from teaching school to teaching flying and encouraging young pilots, especially women, to know the joy of aviation. She taught flying to hundreds of students over the years, gaining over 21,000 hours of flight time. She earned every major flight certificate for private and commercial aviation, and she was a Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Flight Test Examiner for several decades. Genie Rae was also designated as an FAA Accident Prevention Specialist and established numerous safety programs for pilots in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1982, Genie Rae, along with her husband Dave, founded Volunteer Aviation at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville as a flight school and fixed base operation. Genie Rae taught aviation ground schools for credit and non-credit courses at the University of Tennessee, and in many smaller community and junior colleges around East Tennessee during the 1990’s. Genie Rae O’Kelley was a lifetime member of the 99’s, the International Organization of Women Pilots, which she joined in the 1960’s as her aviation career began. She served in various capacities with that group, including trustee for the Amelia Earhart Scholarship Fund to encourage young female pilots, especially those choosing aviation as a career. She also loved her years of racing cross-country with other female pilots in the annual Powder Puff Derby and the Air Race Classic. She won several prizes for her air racing and served over 20 years on the Board of Directors for the Air Race Classic, including President of the Board in 1999.
Genie Rae loved to tell stories from her decades of flying, and her experiences with the many wonderful people she connected with during that time in her life. The pilots she trained became her true reward as an instructor, yet she was also proud of some significant awards received, such as being honored twice for outstanding achievement from the City of Knoxville (Merit Awards, 1975, 1977), the State of Tennessee (1984, Gov. and TDOT Award), the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (1986 Commendation), FAA Southeast Region (Instructor of Year, 1984, 1986), and an AOPA special award for her career in aviation in 1999.
In 1986 she received the National Flight Instructor of the Year Award from the FAA and AOPA in Washington, D.C., as only the third woman to receive this prestigious honor.
Although losing her vision when in her late 60’s, Genie Rae continued to live a full life and even taught a course in aviation for educators each summer at the University of Tennessee through her 92nd year, when she taught the course online, via Skype. Her later years were filled with friends and family, and Genie Rae enjoyed sharing her smile with others, especially grateful for those visiting and caring for her as her health declined in recent months. Genie Rae (Slocum) O’Kelley now joins her husband, Dave O’Kelley, who passed away in 2011, and their legacy continues through numerous family members: two children, Joanne O’Kelley Kline (Brian Duffy) and Kevin Davis O’Kelley (Linda Feldeisen), former son-in-law Robert Kline, two nephews, four grandchildren and their spouses, and six great-grandchildren. Anyone wishing to honor Genie Rae may donate to the Amelia Earhart Scholarship Fund, at NinetyNines.org / Donations, and add Genie Rae’s name in the Comment section.
Service and burial will be private, and at the convenience of the family.