Rita Merlo Kelley

Rita M. Kelley, beloved wife of the late Richard (Kel) Kelley, died peacefully on March 12, 2025, in Bakersfield, California. She was also pre-deceased by her parents, Anthony and Luisa (Cattaneo) Merlo and her three brothers and sisters-in-law, Vincent (Rose), Anthony (Mary) and Clarence (Mary).Rita was born in Detroit, Michigan and settled in Bakersfield after completing a stint in the U.S. Airforce where she obtained the rank of Sergeant. It was during her military service that she met Kel an Army Corporal and Journalist while both were stationed in Ft. Worth, TX. Kel interviewed her as the winner of the local base beauty contest . They fell in love at first sight and married within a week of meeting. They were married for 57 years.Rita enjoyed shopping and decorating her home. She was also a voracious reader and spent many happy hours between the covers of her books. But, her greatest pleasure was supporting her beloved husband by attending the community theater productions in which he starred and sometimes directed.Those who knew Rita will remember her for her infectious way of making you smile whenever you talked with her. In her later years, she was asked, "how are you doing?", her response was always, "I'm old!!"Today Aunt Rita is survived by many nieces and nephews. And, although she is no longer with us, her memory lives on as we remember our many conversations with her. Her spirit remains as an inspiration to all of us as she had an uncanny ability to reach people in a deep and positive way.A joint burial of Rita and Kel’s remains with military honor services will occur April 10th at 10:00 am at the Bakersfield National Cemetery