- Date Of Birth: May 26, 1941
- Date Of Death: August 8, 2021
- State: Texas
Nona passed away on August 8, 2021 in Temple, Texas. She was born on May 26, 1941 in rural Bell County, the daughter of E.M. “Jack” and LaVerne Cosper Ratliff. She attended Belton High School. She married John Van “Jay” Kelly, Jr. of Belton on July 21, 1958 in Georgetown, Texas. They lived in Midland, Texas, and later in Huntsville, Texas. They had three children.
Nona was a dedicated homemaker. She was creative and artistic, an accomplished painter and seamstress, and enjoyed interior design. She was past president of the Palette Club in Midland, and a Girl Scout troop leader.
She worked in custom home building, and interior décor. She later worked with Jay in his second career in oil and gas leasing.
Outside of her artistic endeavors, Nona enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and playing golf. She was a member of the High Sky Bass Club in Midland. She also was a voracious reader.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Jay, in 1984, by three sisters and two brothers, and by one infant granddaughter. She is survived by one brother, Danny Ratliff, and by her children: daughter Selena Hodge and her husband Bob of Belton; daughter Vicki Knight and her husband Gary of Belton; and son John Van Kelly, III, of Belton. She is also survived by six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
