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Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM

Hazel Kelley Wilson of Amarillo TX, co-founder of the Jack B Kelley Co, died Aug 12, 2004. She was 87. Born June 28, 1917, in Hunt County, Texas, she graduated from Amarillo High School in 1934 near the head of her class and went to work at S H Kress Five-and-Dime as a floor walker. In 1936, Hazel married Jack B Kelley, her high school sweetheart. In 1946, they founded the Jack B Kelley Co, which became the first privately owned company to transport helium. Under the Kelleys' guidance, the Amarillo-based operation grew into a multi-million-dollar enterprise that serves as the largest carrier of cryogenic and compressed gases in the United States. Today, Jack B Kelley Inc has expanded to include eight more supporting companies known as the Kelley Family of Companies. In 1980, Jack Kelley died, leaving Hazel to continue running the business. In 1984, Hazel married Ross Wilson, who died in 2002. The family asks that memorials honoring Hazel Kelley Wilson be sent to: BSA Foundation, Children's Learning Center, Don Harrington Discovery Center, First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Olivia's Angels at the Hospice Care Center, Opportunities Inc of Texarkana TX, or West Texas A&M University Foundation.