Obituary

JOHN KELLY OBITUARY
Brother John Kelly, FSC

COVINGTON, LA - Brother John Kelly, FSC, age 90, entered eternal rest on Saturday, July 15, 2017. Brother was a member of the Retired Christian Brothers Community in Covington, LA. He was born on June 24, 1927, in Houston, Texas the son of the late Francis Kelly and the late Katherine Smith Kelly. Brother was also preceded in death by his sister Margaret Kelly Ward and his brother Francis L. Kelly. He is survived by his niece Deborah Ward Dennard and his nephews Randy, Danny and Kenny Ward, cousins and his religious family the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Brother John received the religious habit of the Brothers on August 14, 1945, pronounced temporary Vows on August 15, 1945 and pronounced Final Vows on July 2, 1952. He received a BA from the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a BA in Library Science from UL in Lafayette, LA, and an MS in Science from LSU in Baton Rouge, LA. He also did post graduate work in the study of Latin at LSU.

During his 72 years as a Brother he served in ten schools in the Legacy District of New Orleans-Santa Fe as a teacher, librarian and teacher assistant. He served at St. Paul's in Covington, LA, De La Salle High School in New Orleans, LA, Hanson Memorial High School in Franklin, LA, Cathedral High School in Lafayette, LA, O'Connell High School in Galveston, TX, Christian Brothers School in New Orleans, LA and Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, LA. He retired from active ministry in 2010. He became a member of the St. Paul's Retirement in August of 2011.

It was a joy to live in community with Brother John. He had a wonderful sense of humor and his laugh was infectious. He was a man filled with gratitude for any kindness shown him. Brother had a great love for the Mass and devotion to the Blessed Mother. He was often seen praying the Rosary. He was a humble man who lived his religious life without drawing a lot of attention to himself. The Brothers called him the Candy Man because he always offered each Brother candy at the end of lunch and supper. We also called him The Echo because he was always a sentence behind the community in the recitation of prayers because he was hard of hearing. Brother loved Gospel music and enjoyed listening to the old time preachers on the radio. He loved football and was a devoted fan of the New Orleans Saints.

The Brothers of the St. Paul's Retirement Community are grateful to our nurses and assistants from R+R Health Care for the wonderful way they took care of Brother John. We are also grateful to Hospice of St. Tammany Parish for their assistance.

Brother John donated his body to the LSU School of Medicine. A memorial Mass will be celebrated in the St. Paul's Retirement Community Chapel on Saturday, July 29, 2017, at 10:00 AM.

In memory of Brother John donations to the St. La Salle Auxiliary for the care of our Senior and Infirmed Brothers, 917 S. Jahncke Ave.,Covington, LA will be greatly appreciated.