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Harmon W. Kelley, M.D. F.A.C.O.G.

1945-2023

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Harmon W. Kelley, M.D. F.A.C.O.G.

Harmon W. Kelley, M.D. F.A.C.O.G.

Dr. Harmon W. Kelley was born on June 22, 1945, in Cameron, Texas, to Harmon and Shirley Kelley. Dr. Kelley died on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, of a heart attack. He was 77 years old.

As a boy, he worked in his family’s grocery store and had a daily newspaper route. He was valedictorian of O.J. Thomas High School, class of 1963. He then matriculated to Prairie View A&M University, where he graduated cum laude. While at Prairie View, he was a member of the Army ROTC and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. He served for eight years. At Prairie View, he met Harriet O’Banion and they later married June 21, 1969.

Dr. Kelley attended the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine in Galveston. After he graduated from medical school, Dr. Kelley went on active duty and he commenced his obstetrics and gynecology residency at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso. He next was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, where he served as Chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Darnell Army Medical Center.

In 1978, Dr. Kelley moved to San Antonio and he founded Southeast OBGYN Associates, P.A. where he practiced for 44 years; the past 20 years with Dr. Margaret Kelley, his daughter. Until his arrival, there had not been an Obstetrician and Gynecologist in the Southeast area of San Antonio. Dr. Kelley was a beloved, kind, and competent doctor. He was board certified by the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and was a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In 2011, he was awarded the Southside Chamber of Commerce Legends Award to honor his commitment and service to the south side of San Antonio.

Dr. Kelley has served in a number of positions of physician leadership. From 1983- 84, he served as Chief of Staff of the former Southeast Baptist Hospital. From 1986- 87 and from 2000-01 he served as the Baptist Health System’s Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition, from 2001-04, Dr. Kelley served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dr. Kelley received a number of distinguished honors. In 2004, The School of Excellence Charter School District in San Antonio established the Dr. Harmon W. Kelley Elementary School in his honor. In 2006, he was awarded The Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest alumni honor bestowed by the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine Alumni Association. In 2010, he was awarded the Legend Award Who’s Who in Black San Antonio. In 2011, he received the Bexar County Medical Society’s highest honor, the Golden Aesculapius Award, which recognized his lifetime of distinguished service as a Bexar County Medical Society member to patients and the medical profession.

He received the W.B. Russ Lifetime Achievement Award by the Baptist Health System. In April 2017, he received the Graceann Durr Humanitarian Award from the Methodist Healthcare System. In 2022, he received the C.A. Whittier Lifetime Achievement Award.

During Dr. Kelley’s lifetime, he became an authority on African American art. He was an emeritus board member of the McNay Art Museum.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harmon and Shirley Kelley; and his brother, Marvin Wayne Kelley.

Dr. Kelley is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Harriet O’Banion Kelley; daughters Margaret A. Kelley, M.D. and Jennifer R. Kelley, LCSW-S, ACSWMBA; sister Constance Ward (husband Clifford Ward, deceased); brothers Dr. Danny Kelley (wife Dr. Janice Kelley) and David Kelley (wife Karen Kelley); brother-in-law Charles H. O’Banion, Esq. (wife Miriam O’Banion, deceased); many nieces and nephews; and his dog, Pippin.

The family would like to thank the medical community that provided his care, including Dr. Leo Edwards, Dr. Jude Espinoza, Dr. Caridad M. Rebollar, Dr. Willy Wu, Dr. Richard Otero, Dr. Oscar Montemayor, Dr. Aldo Parodi, Dr. Dale Wood (deceased), Dr. Sal Barbaro III, Dr. Roger Muse, and his Southeast OBGYN Associates, P.A. staff.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 5-7 p.m. in the Lewis Funeral Home in San Antonio.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday at 12 p.m. in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio.

Memorial contributions may be made in Dr. Harmon W. Kelley’s honor to the American Heart Association at bit.ly/3jdNwrl.