Michael R. Kelley Sr.

Michael Russell Kelley Sr. of Norwood, MA, passed away on April 19, 2020, at the age of 82, after a brief battle with Covid-19 combined with Alzheimer's. He was born in New Haven, CT, the son of the late Francis and Marie (Grover) Kelley. Mike was the beloved husband of the late Faith Ann (Lovell) Kelley (1942-1989) with whom he shared twenty-two beautiful years and eight (sort of) beautiful children. He also joins his second wife, the late Regina Lillian (Dolan) Kelley (1949-2018) who cared for him until her last breath. If only Mike had a little more time, there would be a third wife to add, for sure. Mike is survived by a large and loving blended family consisting of his eight children; Catherine (Kelley) Shepard, her husband Michael aka "Sheppa" and their daughter Sophie; Michael Kelley Jr. and his sons Jack, Ryan and Ben; Matthew Kelley, his wife Elayne and daughters Maeve and Isabel; Andrew Kelley, his wife Catharine Uyenoyama and their children Hayden and Faith; Donald Kelley; Faith O. (Kelley) Sheehan, her husband "Dangerous" Danny and their children Zoë, Maddox and Beckett; Colin Kelley, his wife Kate and their children Xavier, Elaina and Keira; Rebecca Kelley; two step sons; Steven Shipman, his wife Megan and their children Gwyneth and Liam; Kevin Quinn, his wife Barrett Sheppard and their son Sebastian. Mike is pre-deceased by his sister, Rosemarie (Kelley) Miceli, and two brothers, Fran and Kenneth. Mike also leaves behind his Minnesota Vikings Jacket, worn religiously for ten years without having any affiliation to the team or knowing even one player's name. Mike graduated Norwood High School in 1956, where he was Captain of the Mustang Hockey team his Jr. & Sr. years, playing for (in his words) the "Greatest coach of all time, Jim Gormley Sr.". He went on to attend The American International College in Springfield, MA where he captained the Hockey Team. After college, Mike joined The United States Army as a Military Police Officer. Upon completing his military obligations he opted for the civilian life and took a job at Carter's in Needham, MA. He quickly rose to be one of the industry leaders in the children's underwear game. In its heyday Mike had over 300 people working in his warehouse of children's undergarments, where he was the Shipping & Receiving Manager. A quiet man, Mike was more often seen than heard. He never missed one of his eight children's activities - a baseball, softball or basketball game, a wrestling match or a concert. Mike also found himself in many meetings with school principals thanks to the tireless efforts of Matty, Donald and Mike Jr. aka "Doopa". Mike, aka "Chopper" is also famously remembered for cruising around Norwood in his red Cadillac, waving to everyone without ever taking his hand off the steering wheel. Sadly, in the end, Mike's children never forgave him for wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots for that one year in 1985. Mike was cared for by many heroes at Royal Braintree's Memory Care Facility, but had two very special nurses looking after him, who made his last years peaceful and comfortable. The family would like to thank Rose and Gene, our Dad's angels on earth. The family would also like to thank Mike's son Andy and his family, for all they have done through this tragic time in Mike's life. Mike was a good man, very religious and without many vices, except maybe smoking (and women of course). A Celebration of his life will be planned in the months to come with his loving and extended family. In the meantime, please feel free to share your love, thoughts and prayers virtually. In lieu of flowers, donations in Michael Russell Kelley Sr.'s memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation: https://act.alz.org