The Roanoke Times | File March

"He wanted people to remember him at his best," Carol Kelley said of her husband, Dick Kelley.

The Roanoke Times | File May

Dick Kelley gave a motivational speech before the Smith Mountain Lake Triathlon in May, a race in which he was unable to compete.

Dick Kelley ran, swam and biked fast. The fact that his death came as swiftly as it did was a terrible shock.

Kelley, a longtime assistant superintendent of Roanoke city schools and an avid triathlete, biker and skier, died Wednesday, less than nine months after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

Kelley, who would have turned 64 on Oct. 30, died at his home in Roanoke County near Vinton about 11:15 a.m., his wife, Carol Kelley, said.

Just before he died, "I told him that he was running his best race," Carol said. "You're going to get to the finish line and get the biggest trophy you've ever got."

Kelley was Roanoke's assistant superintendent for business for 25 years before retiring in 2005.

"I've lost a wonderful friend, but in some ways he's here for me to be proud of as I reflect on how he handled this predicament," said Wayne Harris, the retired superintendent of schools who was Kelley's boss from 1993 to 2004.

Harris said Kelley maintained a positive, even humorous, attitude about his condition.

"He blessed me every time I went to see him. I would go to cheer him, but he was always so positive and upbeat, I'd leave there thinking, 'What do I have to complain about?' He even joked about his illness. He'd say, 'I don't have to worry about my urologist,' or 'I can eat what I want and not worry about my cholesterol.' He handled his situation with dignity."

Kelley, a former Army officer and Vietnam War veteran, learned only in January that he had ALS. A month before, he had been skiing in West Virginia. In August, 2008, he competed in his last triathlon at Lake Norman in North Carolina.

"It was barely a year ago we were doing triathlons together," said Mike Morris, a longtime friend and fellow triathlete. "I can't believe he went this rapidly."

ALS is a neurodegenerative condition named for the baseball player who died of the disease in 1941. It causes motor neurons to degenerate and die. The brain cannot transmit signals to control muscles, which leads to complete paralysis. There is no cure.

After his diagnosis in January, Kelley had hoped to partly participate in a triathlon at Smith Mountain Lake in May. Although he was unable to do so, his stepgranddaughter Tricia Gangstad competed in his honor.

"He wanted people to remember him at his best," his wife said. "He lived life to the fullest and he expected other people to live it the same way."

As his condition worsened, Kelley continued to stay in contact with friends through e-mail and Twitter. A fan of alternative rock music, he regularly sent "Song of the Day" e-mails that contained links to current favorite songs and videos.

When he could no longer type e-mails himself, he relied on voice-recognition software and then on a laser device strapped to his forehead that he could point at letters on a screen.

He often wrote about his deteriorating condition in his e-mails. Some days, the correspondence was funny, especially when he wrote about a home health provider who tried to borrow money from his wife.

"You would not think the economy was that bad considering how difficult it is to get aides," he wrote in an e-mail on Sept. 30.

Often, his e-mails were poignant, as he detailed the pain and discomfort he felt, or when he wrote about visits from friends and family. His last e-mail, sent Monday, featured a photograph of a birthday cake decorated for him by his 15-year-old stepgranddaughter. Among the decorations was a man on a bicycle pedaling past trees toward a finish line.

Kelley competed in numerous races in his life, and he won his age division in at least 15 triathlons -- races that combine swimming, biking and running. He attended several races this year, where he often spoke about his illness during pre-race speeches.

An Ohio native, Kelley served in the U.S. Army for more than a decade. He completed training in the U.S. Army Ranger School before leaving the service in 1978 and marrying Carol.

Nov. 1 would have been the couple's 31st anniversary.

Kelley is survived by his wife, three stepchildren, three stepgrandchildren and his 92-year-old mother, Eleanor Kelley, who lives in California.

A celebration of his life is still being planned.