Obituary of Mary Grace Jenny Kelleher

Mary Grace Kelleher, a retired configuration specialist, passed on December 29, 2018 at the age of 87. Mary Grace was born in Cambridge the daughter of Italian immigrants, Crescenzo and Pasqualina Nazzaro.  She grew up and was educated in Cambridge.  She then furthered her education at Bentley College when it was located in Boston.  She worked for 35 years as a secretary/configuration specialist for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, which was a research institute which carried out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education.  She enjoyed the nature of the work and her many friends and coworkers at the center. 

Mary Grace lived in Cambridge and Boston until 1967.  She then moved to the small community of Burlington with her husband and children.  Her home was the gathering place for her family, friends, and her children’s friends.  She cherished the time shared with her family and loved being a grandmother and great grandmother.  She was an avid bowler and always belonged to competitive bowling leagues.  She was still bowling at the age of 85.  She might not have had as much zip to the ball as when she was younger, but she still had the competitive spirit and enjoyed the comradery of the game.  She was a longtime volunteer at the Winchester Hospital.  She was an avid reader with Mystery and Romance being her favorite genres. She was extremely self-sufficient and wanted to live independently as long as possible and then a bit longer.  She had a long and wonderful life filled with family and friends and will always be remembered as a very kind and loving person.

Mary Grace was the beloved wife of 54 years of the late James F.  Kelleher. Loving mother of James Kelleher & his wife Maria of Pepperell, Linda Freisinger of Burlington & her late husband Richard, Laura Doherty of Hanson and Grace Burke & her husband Randy of Burlington.  Proud grandmother of Michael Doherty, Amy Quealy, James III, Michelle & Patrick Kelleher, Kelly Silvonic and Megan Burke.  She was the great grandmother of Leo, Brady, Payton, Mason, Addison, Joseph & Lia.  She was the sister of William Nazzaro of FL and the late Susan Bimbo, Vincent, Ralph & Orlando Nazzaro.

Visiting hours will held at the Edward V Sullivan, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) Thursday, Jan. 3 from 4 – 8 p.m.  Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 4 at 9 a.m.  Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m.  Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers memorials in Grace’s name may be made to Alzheimer Association Massachusetts Chapter, 309 Waverley Oaks Rd., Waltham, MA 02452   www.alz.org  For directions, obituary & online guestbook see www.stmargaretburlington.org & www.sullivanfuneralhome.net