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David Kelsey, 84, of Chester passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was born and raised in Midland, Texas, and after a short stint in the Navy he graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in journalism. He worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, first in the Dallas bureau, then in Los Angeles, and finally in San Francisco. He left the newspaper business to manage public information for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and then East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).

In 1979 he married Judy Van Osdel. They resided in Oakland, California until 1997 when he retired and they moved to Durango, Colorado where he could pursue his passions of skiing and white-water kayaking. After six years of mountain living, they moved to Maui, Hawaii, where David could take up surfing. After two years, all that sunshine was getting to be too much, and Judy’s sister was beckoning them to come to Connecticut, so they decided to give it a try. They settled in Essex and never looked back. When David’s Alzheimer’s was diagnosed, they downsized to a townhouse in Chester.

David’s great loves were the out-of-doors and traveling. He was an accomplished skier, white-water kayaker, and wind surfer. He was always looking for something new to try such as hang gliding, sailboat racing, scuba diving, bungee jumping, race car driving, surfing, and even old-boys rugby. He was happiest when he was outdoors challenging himself.

David and Judy traveled the globe. He had an endless curiosity about the food, art, music, and lifestyles of other cultures. Many adventures were had in hiking the Inca trail in Peru, exploring the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, China, and Turkey. He marveled at the wildlife in Africa, the diversity of Australia, and he fell in love with New Zealand. So many places, so little time.

David is survived by his wife, Judy; his brother and sister-in-law, Dick and Ann Kelsey; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Linda and Paul Pendergast and Anita and Gary Van Osdel; many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and -nephews; much loved cousins; and his cat Harley.

Judy would like to thank family and friends for all the love and support they gave to David and her during the last few years. She would also like to thank the staff at Essex Meadows Health Care Center who took such good care of David in the last months of his life. A donation can be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Essex Land Trust.