Edna Dean Kelley

Edna was born on August 17th 1949 to the late Leonard and Letory Kelley in Calico Bottoms, Arkansas. She was the first daughter born and she was a second mother to all of her siblings. She was raised on the Kelley farm where she worked the fields with her other siblings. She received her primary and secondary education within the West Helena School District. She was baptized at Pleasant Joy Missionary Baptist Church. Upon graduating Eliza Miller High School in 1967. Edna attended Arkansas Baptist College her freshman year and transferred to Philander Smith College her sophomore year and finished her college education at Agriculture, Mechanical, and Normal College in what is now known as University of Arkansas Pine Bluff in May 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She pledged Delta Sigma Theta her junior year and has been a proud member ever since. After college graduation, Edna lived in Los Angeles working as an Admissions Counselor for University of California Los Angeles from 1971 - 1976. She relocated to Memphis in the fall of 1976, again employed as an Admissions Counselor for Memphis State University. While working there, she met and married Terdell Middleton and moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Terdell played for the Green Bay Packers. He later finished his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When Terdell retired from the NFL, they relocated to Memphis where Edna began work as a Senior Analyst with the City of Memphis - Human Resources Department and Terdell joined the Fire Department. Edna would retire many years later from a job she thoroughly enjoyed. Edna faithfully served in ministry after joining the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. During that time at MBCC, Edna was ordained as a Deacon/Diaconate in 1993. She was a co-leader of the Bereavement Committee as well as a Sunday School Teacher. Edna enjoyed reading the Bible, playing card games, watching MSNBC, and “Everybody Loves Raymond.” She was pre-deceased by her siblings: Ozzie Lee Kelley, Will Lee Kelley, and Karen Howse McMurray. She leaves to mourn her memory her surviving siblings: Melvin (Linda) Kelley, Nelson Kelley, Vernita (A.J.) Kelley Thompson, and Barbara Jean Bryant. She also leaves behind: Aunt Vernice Kirksey, Aunt Leeana Kirkwood, Aunt Juanita Kirkwood, Uncle Leroy Kirkwood, Uncle Rufus Kirkwood, and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.