Gary Kelley, an internationally known artist based in Cedar Falls, died April 12. He was 81.

A 1968 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Kelley built a highly successful career in illustration. He earned 28 gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York and received best-in-show honors at illustrators’ exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles.

Kelley was a member of the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, and worked with prominent publications, businesses and organizations, including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Barnes & Noble, the NFL, NBA, MLB and the Kentucky Derby.

In 2022, UNI professor and filmmaker David O’Shields released a documentary about Kelley, in which he reflected on his artistic journey. The film screened at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls in June 2025, alongside Kelley’s “Decades” exhibit that was featured at that time.

“Gary was a special human being. He was an accomplished artist of national and international great repute, who leaves behind an extraordinary body of work. His work will endure; it will last,” said O’Shields. “But most importantly, he was kind, modest, a good father, a good husband, a good and fiercely loyal friend, and the most generous person with whom I have ever worked. Gary made the world a better place by living a life of meaning and purpose. Gary made the world a better place by simply being Gary.” 

A friend and mentor to many, Kelley had major impacts on multiple lives, including Emily Stowe, a 2003 UNI studio art graduate and current managing editor of the North American Review. Kelley served as an editor of the North American Review, and created many magazine covers for the publication. 

“As an aspiring artist, I grew up admiring him, amazed that someone local could be so successful as a world-famous artist,” said Stowe. “When he chose me to win an art scholarship in 1999, knowing he believed in my talent gave me confidence in my decision to major in studio art at UNI.”

The first visitation for Kelley will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on April 22 at Dahl-Van Hove Funeral Home in Cedar Falls. Another visitation is scheduled an hour before mass starts, at 9 a.m. on April 23 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Falls.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Hearst Center for the Arts to support naming a gallery in Kelley’s honor. Contributions may be made in person or online through the Cedar Falls Community Foundation’s Hearst Center Expansion Fund. Donors are asked to note “Gary Kelley Gallery Fund” in the memo.