Nina (Gillispie) Kelly

Obituary

Class of 1940

Nov. 24, 1920 – Jan. 31, 2007

Nina Barbara Kelly, wife to Landon for 65 years, died January 31, 2007, in Weiser, Idaho, at the age of 86.

Born November 24, 1920, in Keating, Oregon, to Edward Gillispie and Irene Maria Wellington, she lived in the Weiser area until World War II, when she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she worked on the B-25 assembly line at North American Aviation. A striking brunette, she caught the eye of Landon, who also worked on B-25s. They married Christmas Day 1942, and she followed him around the country as he trained to be a pilot, returning to Weiser while he served in the China Theater during World War II.

Following the war, the couple moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where Landon graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering. They spent the next two decades in Texas and Wyoming before moving to Alaska in 1967, where they lived until 1987. They retired to their farm in Weiser.

To Landon, she was a good woman and a loyal companion who was generous to a fault. To her four children, she was caring, kind, and supportive. To her seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, she was loving and compassionate.

At her request, there will be no service, and the family requests memorials to the Weiser Senior Center or the Arthritis Foundation. She will be buried next to her son in Alaska.

She was preceded in death by her siblings Laura Cranston, Edward Gillispie, Hildreth Gillispie Gochnour, and John Talbert Gillispie; her son, Mike Kelly; and her grandson, Ryan Shipley.

She is survived by her husband, Landon, and daughters, Lana Johnson, Linda Shipley, and Laura Kelly. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.thomasonfuneralhome.com.

From The Idaho Statesman Boise, Idaho · Tuesday, February 06, 2007