Margaret M. Kelly

 MARGARET MCCORMICK KELLY

OCTOBER 17, 1929 - December 9, 2022

Margaret "Peg" Kelly (nee Margaret Ann McCormick) died peacefully on December 9, 2022, surrounded by her family after a healthy and fulfilling life.  She was 93.

Born in Needham, MA in 1929 and raised in the Boston suburbs, Peg graduated from Newton High School in 1947, and from Wheelock College in 1951.  She studied to be a teacher and taught first and second grade in Newton, MA.  In 1952, she married the love of her life, Thomas P. Kelly, Jr. (deceased January, 29, 1999), whom she met when they were both seniors in college.  They settled in Gardner, MA, and for 47 years, together, they raised their family of 7 children.  Following Tom's passing in 1999, Peg relocated to Brookhaven at Lexington life care community in Lexington, MA, where she lived for the last 20 years, in proximity to several of her grown children.

Anyone who ever met Peg was conscious of her kindness and civility, and drew from her an infectious energy, enthusiasm, generosity, and wisdom.  She volunteered her whole life, most notably with the Gardner College Club, Sacred Heart Church and School, the Gardner Museum, and committees for the Christmas fundraisers in her recent years at Brookhaven.  Above all, Peg was most proud of, and will be most remembered for, her life's work — the dedication she poured into raising her seven children.  She was a master of organization.  She made it look effortless to oversee all the details of a busy family while assisting Tom with frequent corporate travel and matters of business.  She was the household director of essential paperwork and important decisions.  She knew how to fix things like the plumbing and the furnace, and sore throats and bad scrapes, and was always ready with helpful care after injuries and surgeries.

Peg's commitment to others, in her family, through her faith, in her community, and in the broader society, set an example which continues in her children and grandchildren.  But her most lasting gift was to enjoy the journey.  Peg was fun, and leaves behind happy memories as a loyal fan of the Red Sox and the Patriots, of a passion for Fourth of July fireworks, maple walnut ice cream, and spending time with family in Falmouth on the Cape.  She was a life-long bridge player, a golfer, a fair-weather sailor, a good-sport skier, a seamstress, a traveler, always a teacher...and, a once-in-a-blue-moon entertainer with her enthusiastic rendition of Maisie at the Ballgame.

Peg, we love you and we know you're lending a guiding hand as you always have.  You will be dearly missed, until we all meet again.

In her passing, Peg joins her late husband, Thomas P. Kelly, Jr.; her parents, the late Clifton and Kathleen McCormick; and her sisters, the late Mary Jane (McCormick) Hock, and Kathleen (McCormick) Hernberg.  Peg is survived by her brother, George (Alvena) McCormick of Potomac, MD; her seven children, Ann Kelly Komer of Waltham, MA; Maureen (Bill) McGowan of Riverside, IL; Brenda Kelly (Al Nelson) of Bedford, MA; Tom (Betsi) Kelly of Osprey, FL; Mike (Sharon) Kelly of Burlington, MA; Sheila (Dwight) Warren of Waltham, MA; and Jim (Lori) Kelly of Draper, UT; her thirteen grandchildren, Emily Komer (Charlie Roberts); Annie McGowan (Dave Harney); Erin (Adam) Leonard; Morgan Kelly; Max Kelly; Amelia Kelly; Fiona Kelly; Liam Kelly; Geoffrey Warren; Mitchell Warren; Martin Kelly; Virginia Kelly; Eoghan Kelly; her two great grandchildren, Connor and Kayleigh Leonard; and many nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be held Sunday, December 18, 2022, from 2:00-4:00 PM, in the Mack Family Funeral Home, 105 Central Street, Gardner, MA.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, December 19, 2022, at 10:00 AM, in Holy Rosary Church, 135 Nichols Street, Gardner, MA.

A graveside service will follow where Peg will be laid to her final earthly resting place, next to Tom, at St. John's Cemetery, West Street, Gardner, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Gardner Museum in Gardner, MA by mailing a check to The Gardner Museum, 28 Pearl Street, Gardner, MA 01440.

For more information, or to sign the online guest book in remembrance of Peg, please visit wwwww.mackfamilyfh.com.

Kevin J. Mack, Walter C. Taylor, and Douglas M. Stone, Funeral Directors.