BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
AURORA -- Mayor Leon E. Kelly, a fixture in this Dearborn County community of about 2,800 as a school bus driver, gas station owner, volunteer firefighter and politician, died Sunday of heart failure after a long battle with pneumonia.
Mr. Kelly, 67, was pronounced dead at 12:12 p.m. at Dearborn County Hospital.
A Republican, Mr. Kelly was Aurora's mayor for 11 years -- longer than anyone in the city's history. He spearheaded the fund-raising and construction of the Aurora City pool in the 1950s, pushed for the exterior renovation of the Aurora City Hall in the early 1990s and continuously worked to improve the streets of Aurora. He also helped city residents recover from several devastating floods over the years, most recently in March 1997.
He drove Aurora children to school daily as a bus driver from 1957 to 1984, getting to know many generations of Aurora families. He also ran a service station -- first, Kelly's Mobil and later, Kelly's Sunoco -- for 20 years on U.S. 50.
He became involved in politics at the age of 27 and served on city council for about 30 years before becoming mayor in 1988.
He had one year left in his third mayoral term. Councilman Charles E. Thayer, 64, a 32-year councilman and Democrat, will serve as acting mayor.
"He never met a stranger," said Dennis Montgomery, 48, his stepson. "He always greeted you with a smile and a friendly hello." Relatives said Mr. Kelly had been hospitalized with pneumonia in recent weeks but seemed to be recovering. He died at Dearborn County Hospital after an ambulance crew rushed him there Sunday morning.
He was son of the late Homer and Nora Kelly and brother of the late Leo Kelly.
Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Joy Kelly, four sons, three daughters, 22 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Memorials can be made to the Aurora Emergency Unit, the American Heart Association or Hill Forest, an Aurora museum. Funeral arrangements are pending.
