Kevin W. Kelly

On Friday, March 19, 2021, Kevin Kelly left the world with his wife, Nancy Walsh, and their six children by his side. This obituary was written with the greatest love and respect to our Dad by his children, Hannah (KELLY) Flynn, McGuire Kelly, Bailey Kelly, Delaney Kelly, Atticus Kelly, and Casey Kelly. Dad grew up in Elmwood, Connecticut. He was the son of Margaret (MCGUIRE) Kelly, and fire Captain John William Kelly. He was the youngest brother to Mary (KELLY) Lombardo, Eileen (KELLY) Danaher, and John Kelly. In addition to his children and siblings, he leaves behind his first granddaughter, Parker Marie Flynn, and two sons-in-law Austin Flynn, and Nicholas Calitri (to be made official this summer), as well as his sibling’s spouses- Michael Lombardo, Neil Danaher and Maureen (BAILEY) Kelly, and many nieces and nephews. If you knew our Dad, you’d know he was kind, committed, honest, consistent, funny and compassionate in the best sense of these words and in all aspects of his life. Our Dad’s love and passion for his work was only exceeded by his love for our Mom and the family they built together. A few days before his passing, he told our Mom “the best decision he ever made was asking her to marry him” and in return, her response was “the best thing I ever did was say yes”. Together our parents showed us what a true partnership is- they didn’t always agree, they challenged each other often, but at the end of the day, they supported each other, loved each other fiercely and made each other better people. Our Dad dedicated his life (and ours) to changing the world, he did this in more ways than one. As kids, he always told us there are three things in life that no one can ever take away from you, so you better take them seriously: your family, your education, and your faith. Through their actions, our parents made it a priority to ensure we had and valued all three of those things. To our Dad, every person that walked through our door was considered family- he would greet them with rosy cheeks, a glass of red wine in hand and a warm hug. Our favorite tradition with our Dad was making his mother’s apple pie recipe on Thanksgiving Eve, we’d pack the kitchen with family and friends, blast the music way too high, toast to family, and be thankful for another year of being together. Shortly after this toast, our dad would famously “Irish exit”. As hard as it will be to continue these traditions, we will do so because he taught us tradition matters. Dad, you made this world a better place. Get settled in up there and we’ll talk to you next week. And on the last page of your book, Dad, may the angels write peace. The services for our Dad will be held at Saint Patrick & Saint Anthony, 285 Church St. Hartford on March 27th at 10AM, directly following the service there will be a receiving line to visit with the family. Covid 19 guidelines for masks and distancing will be required. The service will also be live streamed on https://www.spsact.org/index.php?cID=348 Due to COVID-19, a memorial service will be held in late Summer 2021 details to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made through donation to https://gofund.me/94166546