Jeff Kaley

Jeff Kaley passed away on April 7, 2025. He was 73.

Jeffrey Jay Kaley was born June 7, 1951, in Robinson, Ill. The son of Vaughn Hayes Kaley and Lela Louise (Helm) Kaley grew up in Robinson, where he graduated from Robinson High School in 1969. He pursued further education for a time before embarking on an award-winning career.

Jeff was a standout athlete and volunteer coach who could write well and loved music.

He eventually was able to make the most of his sports knowledge when a friend, who happened to own the Robinson Daily News, gave Jeff a job as sports editor. He won his first award for a sports column in 1981. He earned a total of six awards while writing in Illinois.

In September 1985, Jeff Kaley walked through the employees' entrance of The Duncan Banner, thinking of it as a temporary stop before moving on to the next big thing. Over the next 30 years, he made an indelible mark in Stephens and Jefferson counties.

Jeff often wrote at home, first on a typewriter, gradually on evolving electronic devices ranging from Radio Shack to Apple. He would pound away at the keyboard as if his fingers couldn't move fast enough to get all the words out. He could churn stories out at a remarkable rate and wore off the letters on most of those devices.

Jeff Kaley was the sports editor at The Banner for 17 years before transitioning to a news focus. During his time with The Banner, Jeff earned eight individual awards for his writing, including Columnist of the Year in the Best of CNHI contest. His sports department won nine awards for collective entries. The Duncan Banner won four Sequoyah Awards, the highest honor from the Oklahoma Press Association, while Jeff was on staff.

In Dec. 2005, Jeff became editor and general manager at The Banner's sister newspaper, the Waurika News-Democrat. He held that position for nine years. He was the only editorial staff, earning 21 first-place awards and 36 in other placings in categories for writing, community leadership, and layout and design. The Waurika News-Democrat won four Sequoyah Awards during Jeff's tenure.

Many may not recall that Jeff also worked for about nine months at the Stillwater News-Press. During that time, The Banner held its first Readers' Choice Award contest. Duncan Banner readers voted Jeff Kaley as the Best Sports Writer while he was away. It was an award that meant more to him than any of the others. The readers named him their favorite for five consecutive years.

Throughout his career, Jeff's writings appeared in other sports-oriented publications and were picked up by wire services to be distributed on a wide scale. Upon retirement from full-time work in February 2015, Jeff continued with some freelance work for Lawton Constitution and Oklahoma Living.

Along the way, Jeff was able to feed his love of music as a volunteer for Chisholm Trail Arts Council (CTAC). As programming vice president, Jeff worked on the annual live concert series. He brought a wide variety of artists to Duncan: acrobats, monks, blues singers, comedy troupes, tribute bands, rock, bluegrass and country swing bands. A high point for Jeff was when he brought in one of his own personal favorites: Leon Russell. In 2020, CTAC honored him for his nine years of service with a Tribute Award during the Duncan Area Arts Hall of Fame presentations.

Jeff served for 30 years on the selection committee for the Duncan Athletic Hall of Fame. He worked to speed up the number of inductees annually in an effort to catch up on honoring the many outstanding athletes, coaches and supporters that have passed through Duncan. In 2008, the other committee members ignored his protests and inducted Jeff Kaley into the Duncan Athletic Hall of Fame. The breadth of his coverage in Duncan began in 1985 and continued long enough to include the children and grandchildren of those athletes. His words live on, mostly in scrapbooks compiled by loving grandparents and parents hopeful that articles mentioning their child would help cinch a college scholarship.

It is sometimes said that behind every great man, stands a woman rolling her eyes. She also has the privilege of writing this obit. She learned to write well by paying attention to what and how Jeff Kaley wrote.

Jeff Kaley and Karen (Clark) Morris were married June 8, 1992. The marriage created a family of four that included Anthony and Chris Morris. Like any new parent, he fumbled a bit, but eventually settled into his new role quite well. Jeff's caring and influence helped raise them to become men to be proud of. Jeff's example is reflected in their life choices.

In the years after the sons left the house and the payroll, Jeff and Karen indulged their mutual love of music, traveling around Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas to live performances by new artists and beloved older artists. He also joined Karen as a member of the Duncan Noon Lions and enjoyed their weekly gatherings and swapping silly jokes with them.

Jeff was easily recognized in public and it was not unusual for someone to come up to him and tell him how much they enjoyed a certain memory about him. This happened all the way up until his final days. It was a great delight for him. Always offer a compliment when you have the chance. You never know how much it will make a person's day.

During the past decade, Jeff began down the one-way, downhill path of dementia. It was cruel and took his writing first. He was able to remain in his home until the last month of his life.

Jeff was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents, several beloved uncles and aunts, several cousins and very dear friends.

He is survived by his wife, Karen, of Duncan; sons: Anthony Morris and his wife, Casey McGuire, of Portland, Oregon; and Chris Morris and his wife, Celia Monroe, and their children Tela Monroe and Milo Morris, of Norman; brother, Chris Kaley and his wife, Karen Kaley, of Missoula, Montana; nephew Sam Kaley and his partner Ashley, of Missoula, Montana; best friend Jeff Gallagher and his wife, Gerry, of Sibley, Illinois; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and many, many, many friends, some he had kept in his life since grade school. Jeff was a beloved member of Karen's family and he will be sorely missed.

Oh, and cats: Pixel, Queenie and Pearl.

Rather than flowers, Jeff would be honored by contributions to organizations promoting the care of dementia patients and their families, organizations promoting the arts, or your favorite charity. Don't forget the cats and other four-legged friends, and organizations that help them be healthy and in loving homes. Or, simply spend an evening with friends at a local place featuring live music.

The family plans a memorial in the summer, details to be announced. We hope you will join us to remember and celebrate our dear Jeff Kaley.