George Thomas Kelley's Obituary
George Thomas Kelley, Jr., Esq. was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on March 29, 1938 to Marion Evelyn Callahan Kelley and George Thomas Kelley, Sr. George, as he was known to friends and family, passed peacefully in Leesburg, Virginia, on September 23, 2016 at the age of 78.
In the eyes, hearts and minds of many of his family members George was a hero. His father passed when George was 15 years of age. George assumed the mantle of man of the house. He happily and caringly carried that responsibility his entire life. In 1960, George married his high school sweetheart, Eileen Theresa Comeau. Together they brought four children into this world, raised them well, made certain that they were educated and prepared for life after home, supported them in adulthood, took great pride in their personal and professional accomplishments and smiled inside and out at the sight of their six grandchildren.
George was an abiding and loving husband and a giving, kind and nurturing father. He was also an accomplished professional who understood from an early age, as a matter of necessity, that hard work was hard but that there was no substitute. He often credited the Xaverian Brothers and the Jesuits for guiding him in his teenage years. George attended Saint John’s Preparatory
School and then went on to Boston College. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics in 1959. Following graduation from BC, George served in the United States Army as a Captain in the Air Defense Artillery. He continued to serve in the Massachusetts Army National Guard until 1966 as Battalion Commander of the 105 mm Field Artillery.
George studied law at night (as a father of four) at Suffolk University earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1970. During the day, he was a special agent for the IRS – patrolling the wharves of Boston and the streets of the North End.
Upon his graduation from law school, the Justice Department offered George a position. George worked at Justice from 1970 to 1992 – eventually becoming the Chief of the Criminal Enforcement Section, Northeast Region, of the Tax Division in 1988. Following his retirement from Justice, George travelled with Eileen and enjoyed his family, his friends and working at the Redskins’ practice facility at Redskins Park, as well as continuing to work with the Justice Department in various capacities. If a man’s wealth is measured by the love and respect of those he leaves behind, then George passed as a very wealthy man.
George is survived by his wife, Eileen Theresa Comeau Kelley, his daughters, Kathleen Kelley Hofer and Christine Kelley Pittinger, his sons, Michael Kelley and Daniel Kelley, and his grandchildren, Mary Catherine Hofer, Elizabeth Hofer, Arthur Hofer, Lydia Kelley, Quinn Kelley, and Bridget Pittinger.
A mass of Christian burial will be said on Tuesday, October 4th at Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, Virginia at 12 noon. Friends may call on the family during the hours of 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 on Monday, October 3rd at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in George’s name to the general scholarship fund of either Saint John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts or Boston College.
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