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Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home obituary

Sam B. Kelsey, D.V.M.
(August 12, 1927 - November 29, 2014 )

Sam B. Kelsey, D.V.M., of Deport, passed away at Paris Regional Medical Center, on Saturday, November 29. He was eighty-seven years old.

Dr. Kelsey was born in Deport on August 12, 1927, to Joe B. Kelsey and Reecy Bell Kelsey. He attended school in Deport. He graduated in 1948 from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and worked for one year in Paris at a veterinary clinic before returning to Deport, where he practiced in his own clinic for fifty-five years before retiring. He married Dorothy "Suzy" Hughes on March 26, 1948, in Deport, and they had two children, Connie and Joe Travis. Working from his clinic and often from the back of his jeep, he traveled far and wide "making calls" throughout parts of Lamar, Delta, Red River, Franklin, Bowie, Morris, and Hopkins Counties. He was a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and served for several years as Deport School Board president. He was a life-long member of Deport United Methodist Church and the grandson of one of its founders.

Dr. Kelsey was preceded in death by his parents; a baby brother, James B.; and a grandson, Joseph.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Suzy; his daughter, Connie Dodd, and husband, Travis, of Paris; his son, Joe T. Kelsey, and wife, Kim, of Bogata; his grandson, Philip Dodd, of New York City; his grandson, Carter Kelsey, of Deport, and his fiancee, Keely Wilson; his sister, Martha Glover, and husband, Duane, of Deport; his brother-in-law, Dr. Gaylon Hughes, and wife, Mary, of Alvin; his nephew, David Glover, of Dallas; his nieces, Marilyn Glover, and Betsy Chapman, and husband, Jerome, of Deport; and several other cousins and grand-nieces and nephews.

Services are set for 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 2, at Deport United Methodist Church with Rev. Debra May and Rev.Vivian Crowson officiating. Interment will follow at Highland Cemetery in Deport under the direction of Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday at Fry-Gibbs. Pallbearers are Tom Webb, Morris Foster, David Glover, Jerome Chapman, Ty Merritt, and Frank Norwood.