Graveside services for Wilma Gross Kelley, age 87, of Athens, Alabama, will be held on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Rocky Branch Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Matt Browning officiating and Benefield Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 11:00  – 11:45 AM on Thursday before services begin.

Mrs. Kelley passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at her residence.

Survivors include: one daughter, Joy Bailey of Athens, AL, and two grandchildren, Kailin Bailey and Ryan Bailey.

A Wedowee native, Mrs. Kelley was born on January 8, 1938, the daughter of Arlin and Minnie Lee Parker Gross.  She was a member of Rocky Branch Baptist Church and worked as a teacher for Shelby County Board of Education and also assisted her husband in his veterinary clinic in Memphis for 40 years.  Mrs. Kelley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, David Kelley; one sister, Janie Traylor; and one brother, Jimmy Gross.

Memorials may be floral.