Elaine T. Kelly

Kelly, Elaine Torrey (Clapp) of Weymouth, died peacefully in her sleep of heart failure November 22, 2013. 

She is predeceased by her loving husband of 30 years, Thomas J. Kelly, retired Detective Lieutenant of the Weymouth Police Department. She was born on May 10, 1922. She grew up in Weymouth with her brothers Herb and Robert.  After graduating from Weymouth High School, she attended Bridgewater State College where she was elected President of the Class of 1944. At Bridgewater, she developed close friendships with a circle of women that would stay in touch with each other for over 60 years.  They would meet each year for a weekend in Wellfleet to catch up on each other’s lives.  She began her teaching career at the Athens School but was required to leave after one year when she had her first of five sons.  When the youngest son entered elementary school, she returned to teaching 3rd grade at the McCulloch School and spent a happy thirty years there before finishing her career at Pingree School.  After retiring she enjoyed traveling with her good friend Dot Messier.  They saw all the National Parks, visited Hawaii, cruised the Alaskan waterways and visited many European countries. Her greatest joy was watching the growth of her family over the years. She was always there to babysit or celebrate a kids New Year’s Eve with ginger ale and balloons at 10PM.  She was the glue that held a large family scattered over several states together. Every year she would host a “Kelly Christmas” after the actual holiday where the entire family could gather and enjoy each other.

She will be greatly missed by her five sons, Michael and his wife Nancy, Richard and his loving companion Kate, James and his wife Lori, Tom and his wife Mary and Paul and his wife Donna her thirteen grandchildren Michael, Meghan, Margaret, Chad, Lori Ann, Amy, Kristy, Jade, Tracy, Brenda, TJ, Sarah and Melissa and her twelve great-grandchildren Harry, Taryn, Ryan, Sarah, Emily, Lindsey, Alissa, Rylee, Justin, Eliza, Reid and Myles and her sisters-in-law Margaret Papile and Belle Clapp.  

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours on Monday 4-8PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home NORTH WEYMOUTH at 40 Sea Street (off RT.3A-Bicknell Sq.)  Funeral service will be celebrated on Tuesday at 10 AM in Unitarian Universalist Church of Weymouth, 83 Sea Street, Weymouth, MA 02191. Burial in Old North Cemetery, Weymouth.

 Donations may be made in Elaine’s memory to the NE Center for Children, Inc., 33 Turnpike Rd., Southborough, MA 01772-2108.