CEMA Robert Lee Kelly

Robert Lee Kelly had been in the Navy about 22 years when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Mr. Kelly was an electrician’s mate and chief petty officer on the U.S.S. Arizona. He had been preparing to retire, but re-enlisted in October 1940.

He was survived by his widow, Dorothy Augusta Kelly, in Long Beach, California — the home of many sailors’ families because it was adjacent to the ship’s mainland port at San Pedro. The couple had reportedly lived in Long Beach for 10 years.

Mr. Kelly was born July 28, 1902 in Augusta, Georgia. His father, William Jordan Kelly, worked at a cotton mill and died in 1918, age 47. His mother was Etta Kelly. A brother and sister in Georgia were among other survivors.

Sources: the Long Beach (California) Telegram; the Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle; Census; grave markers; Veterans Administration. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.