James E. Kelly; Longtime Obstetrician

James E. Kelly, a longtime obstetrician and gynecologist in the San Fernando Valley, has died in Canoga Park. He was 73.

Kelly, who delivered thousands of babies during his career, opened an office in North Hollywood in 1950. A few years later, he moved his office to Van Nuys and opened another one in Los Angeles.

A Sherman Oaks resident, he died Thursday of complications of Alzheimer’s disease, said his wife, Marion.

Born Aug. 8, 1916, in Milwaukee, Kelly came to California when he was 14. He graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles and attended Loyola University for two years. He graduated from USC’s Medical School, where he was a member of the Phi Rho Sigma fraternity.

Kelly finished an internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Los Angeles before joining the Navy during World War II. He served as a flight surgeon on three aircraft carriers in the South Pacific, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.

Afterward, he was in residency at a hospital in Chicago, where he made house calls delivering the babies of low-income mothers. In 1948, he moved to California and was in residency at Queen of Angels Hospital before starting his practice in 1950. He was on staff at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank for 32 years and volunteered his time delivering hundreds of babies at St. Anne’s Maternity Home in Los Angeles. He retired in 1982.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years; a son, James V. Kelly of Granada Hills; a daughter, Mary Susan Kelly of Seattle; a brother, Dr. Robert Kelly of Los Angeles; a sister, Jane Kelly of Los Angeles and six grandchildren. A funeral Mass is scheduled to be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catholic Church, 15520 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Private burial will follow.

J.T. Oswald Mortuary in Reseda is handling the arrangements. Donations can be made in Kelly’s name to the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Associates Inc., 70 E. Lake St., Suite 600, Chicago, Ill., 60601.