Dr. James Kelso

On September 14, 2022, our dear father, Dr. James Jude Kelso, was called to Heaven with his family surrounding him at home.

We were grateful to be with him, as Dad was always there for us. Dad worked devotedly to provide us with beautiful places to live, vacation, dine, learn, and experience. He fostered memory after memory of family dinners gathered around amazing food and great conversation. Every meal featured hysterical and tearful toasts given by and to an ever-expanding crowd of well-loved children, daughter- and son-in-laws, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—enlarging our family to a close-knit 46 and counting.

Born July 2, 1933, Dad grew up in Severna Park, Maryland as the youngest of seven siblings. He studied medicine at the University of Maryland and did his residency at Georgetown Hospital in Washington D.C. He later served as a Navy doctor and settled in Des Moines, Iowa, where he delivered thousands of precious babies into the world and was respected for his exceptional surgical skills throughout his career as an OB-GYN. Over the course of his professional life, Dad held prominent positions at Mercy and Methodist Hospitals, served as one of the founders of the Iowa Clinic, and chaired the Risk Management Committee.

Married in 1955, family was Dad’s defining hallmark. He is survived by his wife, Greta, and their seven children: Leslie Teeling (Joe), Elizabeth Newman (Jody), David Kelso (Jill), Karen Monette, Marianne Kelso, Suzanne Schulte (Paul), and James Kelso, and his niece, Karen Stadjuhar, who came to live with the family and was nurtured as his own. His legacy also includes 20 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, including baby Ellie, whom Dad joins in Heaven.

Services will be held at St. Augustin Catholic Church Monday, September 19, 2022 at 11am with visitation beginning at 9am. A reception following the service will be hosted at Wakonda Club.

Memorial contributions can be made to Innervisions Health Care or St. Augustin Catholic Church.