Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Gary Kelley died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Chief Kelley had served with the Marion Police Department for over 38 years and was the Chief of Police for 13 of those years. He had previously served with the Crittenden County Sheriff's Office.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Chief of Police Gary Ray Kelley died on December 29, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 63.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, two brothers, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-EF73164B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Chief of Police Kelley gave the Marion Police Department 43 years.
Thank you for your service to the Marion community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Kelley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Gary Ray Kelley is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In AR, 17 of 372 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.6% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gary Ray Kelley's cause is highlighted.
How Gary Ray Kelley Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Gary Ray Kelley is highlighted in Dec.