Obituary for Joseph Kelly Sr.
Joseph Kelly’s wonderful, infectious smile slipped away on March 1, 2020, with his family by his side. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he courted his wife, Gail, via a ferry boat romance to Staten Island before the bridge. Throughout their marriage he was always considered a family man. Gail and his children always came first.
Joseph earned his BA at Fordham University after 3 years and later his MBA at Wagner College.
Having joined ROTC at Fordham, he was sent to earn his graduation at Fort Devins where he was persuaded to work for Army Intelligence and Security. Several years later he was asked to train with the 82 Airborne division in Fort Bragg. While leading a group as part of a pre war security project in Viet Nam he earned a commendation for pulling a pilot out of a burning helicopter and carrying him up a hill on his back, while under fire.
During the beginning of his life at IBM, he wrote Computerized Management Information Systems, a text book used by several schools. His career at IBM involved working in Europe, Japan/Asia Pacific and South America. This was a perfect fit for him as he loved history and traveling the world. If you mention a place he would tell you something about it. Retirement didn’t slow him. He also wrote a successful book, ‘Brooklyn South’ which he dedicated to his family.
He joined Activities Unlimited (AU) became a president and ran a project of filing income tax for
low- income Seniors in Passaic Count for several years. Everyone asked for the man with grey hair. This ended when he was asked to run for the Franklin Lakes town council and retired last year after 9 years.
Besides his loving wife, Gail, Joseph is survived by his 3 children and 11 grandchildren. He cherished them all: daughter Gail Ann wife of Ben Shifar and grandchildren, Michael, Matthew, Mark,Max, Miles, Mason, Martin and Maverick and Madison; son Joseph and wife Melissa and grandchildren Walter and Elena, and son Christopher and wife Danielle. This was the real dream of his life.
Friends and family may visit the Kelly family on Friday from 4-8 PM at the Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home, 530 High Mountain Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Funeral Mass will be held at St Elizabeth’s RC Church, 700 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff on Saturday at 11:30 am.
Joseph earned his BA at Fordham University after 3 years and later his MBA at Wagner College.
Having joined ROTC at Fordham, he was sent to earn his graduation at Fort Devins where he was persuaded to work for Army Intelligence and Security. Several years later he was asked to train with the 82 Airborne division in Fort Bragg. While leading a group as part of a pre war security project in Viet Nam he earned a commendation for pulling a pilot out of a burning helicopter and carrying him up a hill on his back, while under fire.
During the beginning of his life at IBM, he wrote Computerized Management Information Systems, a text book used by several schools. His career at IBM involved working in Europe, Japan/Asia Pacific and South America. This was a perfect fit for him as he loved history and traveling the world. If you mention a place he would tell you something about it. Retirement didn’t slow him. He also wrote a successful book, ‘Brooklyn South’ which he dedicated to his family.
He joined Activities Unlimited (AU) became a president and ran a project of filing income tax for
low- income Seniors in Passaic Count for several years. Everyone asked for the man with grey hair. This ended when he was asked to run for the Franklin Lakes town council and retired last year after 9 years.
Besides his loving wife, Gail, Joseph is survived by his 3 children and 11 grandchildren. He cherished them all: daughter Gail Ann wife of Ben Shifar and grandchildren, Michael, Matthew, Mark,Max, Miles, Mason, Martin and Maverick and Madison; son Joseph and wife Melissa and grandchildren Walter and Elena, and son Christopher and wife Danielle. This was the real dream of his life.
Friends and family may visit the Kelly family on Friday from 4-8 PM at the Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home, 530 High Mountain Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Funeral Mass will be held at St Elizabeth’s RC Church, 700 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff on Saturday at 11:30 am.