Lee Kelly (May 24, 1932 – March 28, 2022)[1] was an American sculptor who has more than 30 sculptures on display between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.[2] Kelly has been called "Oregon's sculptor".[2]

Lee Kelly
Born(1932-05-24)May 24, 1932
Died (aged 89)
Alma mater
Spouses
Jeanette Bernhardt
(m. 1950; died 1960)
(m. 1961; died 1990)
Children2
Websitewww.lee-kelly.net

Personal life

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Born in rural McCall in central Idaho, Kelly was raised near Riggins, Idaho.[3] His family moved to Portland in 1945 and he attended Roosevelt High School. From 1949 to 1951, he attended Vanport Extension Center, which is now Portland State University. From 1951 to 1955, he was in the United States Air Force Reserves at Portland Air Force Base, including service on active duty.[4] He married Jeanette Bernhardt.[3] During the late 1950s he attended Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.[3] From 1967 to 1971, he taught at Mt. Angel College, Mt. Angel, Oregon. Bernhardt and Kelly had one daughter Kassandra, and Bernhardt died in 1960 of cancer before Kassandra turned one.[3]

In 1961, Kelly married Bonnie Bronson, and in 1963 they bought a 5-acre (2.0 ha) dairy farm near Oregon City, where as of 2010 Kelly still lived.[3] Kelly and Bronson had a son, Jason, who died in 1978 of leukemia, while Bronson died climbing Mount Adams with Kelly in 1990.[3] Kelly died at his home in Clackamas County on March 28, 2022.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vondersmith, Jason (March 29, 2022). "Daily Life: Artist Lee Kelly, 89, dies". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  2. ^ a b "Oregon's Sculptor: Lee Kelly". Oregon Arts Commission. November 27, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Row, D.K. (October 9, 2010). "Profile: Northwest sculptor Lee Kelly". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  4. ^ Sutinen, Paul. "Sculptor Lee Kelly: Pointing toward Asia", Oregon Artswatch website, June 1, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Perry, Douglas (30 March 2022). "Lee Kelly, Oregon artist and adventurer whose work features prominently across state, dies at 89". Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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