Steve Kelly, 55, Inquirer editor

Steve Kelly, 55, of Hightstown, N.J., an Inquirer news editor who fended off advanced-stage pancreatic cancer for almost two years while going public with the fight, died Wednesday, April 15, of the disease at his home.

Mr. Kelly joined The Inquirer's news desk - the editors who decide how stories and photos will be displayed in the paper - in December 1996. He designed pages inside the paper and quickly became proficient enough to handle Page One.

On Sept. 11, 2001, just hours after terrorists launched the first homeland attack on the United States, Mr. Kelly arrived early for work at the newsroom in the former Inquirer Building at Broad and Callowhill Streets.

He was scheduled to lay out the front page. As staffers spontaneously assembled, and the newsroom grew noisy and chaotic, Mr. Kelly focused with quiet intensity on the task at hand.

"He was always at his best on big news days, and I'll never forget his extraordinary work on that fateful day in 2001," said Stan Wischnowski, vice president for news of Philadelphia Media Network, owner of The Inquirer.

"In typical Steve fashion, he gathered information from all corners of the newsroom, then sat down and delivered a masterful front page on deadline that truly captured the magnitude of the event," Wischnowski said.

His front page, with the lead headline "U.S. ATTACKED," was startling, simple, and eloquent. With a few crisp headlines and bold photos, it told the reader what had happened and warned that a new era of watchfulness had dawned.

The following year, the page placed first in the best broadsheet page design category of the 2002 Spotlight Contest sponsored by the Keystone Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The accolade was among many Mr. Kelly received for page design at The Inquirer.

"I used to call him 'Merlin' because he seemed to have the magic touch," said Inquirer editor William K. Marimow. "But beyond his journalistic talent, Steve was a wonderful colleague - generous, thoughtful, and committed to making The Inquirer as good as it could be."

A big fan of Penn State football and Bruce Springsteen, Mr. Kelly spoke often of his wife, Kerry, and was especially proud of his daughters, Delaney and Kacey.

"He often talked about their academic and athletic achievements," said Brian Leighton, The Inquirer's news editor and Mr. Kelly's direct supervisor. "Family was everything to Steve. He also worked hard in his last years to make sure his mother was comfortable and well-situated."

Stephen Kelly grew up in Levittown and graduated from Neshaminy Maple Point High School. He graduated from Shippensburg University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He worked at the Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, the Woodbridge (N.J.) News Tribune, and the Bergen Record in Hackensack, N.J., before joining The Inquirer.

During a break in his employment at The Inquirer, he served as director of publications for the Peddie School in Hightstown.

Bill Kettelberger, an Inquirer news editor who met Mr. Kelly at the Courier Times in 1982 and worked with him at three newspapers, said, "Steve helped shape my life in so many ways.

"Knowing him for over 30 years has made me a better journalist, father, husband, and friend," Kettelberger said. "Steve said it best to me during a recent visit when he smiled and said, 'We had a great run.' I'll miss him every day."

When Mr. Kelly learned he had advanced pancreatic cancer almost two years ago, he got busy, in quiet, efficient Steve fashion. He acted - and communicated.

A moving Father's Day op-ed piece published in The Inquirer on June 15, 2014, demonstrated his can-do approach.

"I got to work quickly, trimming back my bucket list and planning my funeral. Where should I have my ashes sprinkled? But a funny thing happened on the way to the cemetery. The funeral procession stalled," he wrote.

As he adjusted to life as a patient, he wrote, "I can even go hours without thinking that I have cancer. Those are the best times. I am not afraid of dying, but the thought of not living frightens the hell out of me."

In a YouTube video filmed at a pancreatic cancer network fund-raiser, Mr. Kelly told of being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and said that he was surprised to still be alive 17 months later.

He spoke of choosing a clinical trial with "not one, not two, not three, but four drugs" that "kicked the tar out of my cancer," and positioned him to enroll in a second cutting-edge clinical trial that would train his own immune system to fight "this horrible disease."

Mr. Kelly said that all cancer survivors crave hope, and he urged listeners to support research efforts going forward. "Wage hope," was his parting remark. The speech can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/PanCAN.CedarFalls/posts/783297261754889.

"Over the last two years, Steve and I regularly consulted about his illness, and he decided to pursue a rigorous, demanding course of treatment that allowed him to live his life to the fullest," Marimow said.

Mr. Kelly kept working throughout his illness. Colleagues marveled at how he remained upbeat as he battled.

"In many ways, he epitomized the ideal Inquirer colleague," Leighton said. "He was extremely creative and open to collaboration."

Said Marimow, "His grit and determination were inspiring to all of us."

In addition to his wife and daughters, he is survived by his mother, Jean, and two sisters.

A visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at the Barlow & Zimmer Funeral Home, 202 Stockton St., Hightstown. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. Friday, April 24, at the funeral home. Burial is private.

Read Steve Kelly's Father's Day essay at www.philly.com/stevekellyEndText