Obituary of Catherine Kelly

Catherine E. Kelly passed away after a sudden illness while on vacation in Vero Beach, FL on Monday, February 25, 2008. She was 85 years old. Catherine grew up in Charlestown, MA, the daughter of the late John C. and Catherine (Hayes) Nelson. She moved to Burlington, MA in 1963. She briefly resided in Vero Beach, FL, but returned to Burlington to live with her daughter, Karen. Catherine was a long-time employee of Houghton Mifflin Book Company in Burlington, where she worked in the shipping department. During WW II, Catherine supported the war effort by working in the Boston Naval Shipyard. She went back to school after her children had grown and earned an Associates Degree in Art from Northeastern University. Catherine loved books and was an avid reader. She enjoyed playing Scrabble with her family and Bingo with her friends. She always enjoyed the challenge of a good crossword puzzle. Catherine’s life centered around her family. She was the loving wife of 61 years to her husband James. She was a loving and supportive mother and a proud grandmother and great grandmother. She loved being part of her family’s lives. She was on vacation in Vero Beach, FL staying with her daughter Kathleen and her family when she took ill. She will be lovingly remembered. Catherine was the beloved wife of the late James P. Kelly. She was the loving mother of Kathleen & her husband Dr. James Norconk of Vero Beach, FL, Karen Doucet of Burlington, and the late Kevin Kelly. She was predeceased by her siblings Joseph Nelson and Mary Gill. She was the devoted grandmother of James Norconk, III, Christine Norconk Rosen, Michael Doucet, and Katie Schlehuber and great grandmother of Evan and Jacob Norconk, Ryan and Sean Schlehuber, and Daniel and Jonah Rosen. She so loved her many devoted nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Catherine’s memory to The Home for Little Wanderers, an organization that was dear to the hearts of Catherine and her husband, James. Donations may be sent to The Home for Little Wanderers, 271 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115 or submitted online at www.thehome.org. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday, March 1 at 10:30 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 11:30 a.m. Visiting hours Friday 6-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington.