Robert M. "Bob" Kelly

Robert Michael “Bob” Kelly, 78 of Thorofare, NJ passed away on March 4, 2023 at his sister’s home in Wayne, PA. He was the son of the late William J. Kelly, Jr and Leona A. (Mueller) Kelly. 

Bob was born at the Station (Wakeman) Hospital at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He grew up in Yeadon and later Philadelphia, PA where he attended Transfiguration Parochial School and was a graduate of St Joseph’s Prep. He joined the U.S. Army and attended the Defense Language Institute at Monterey CA. There he studied Vietnamese and was awarded the prestigious General Maxwell Taylor Award at graduation for proficiency. After serving in Viet Nam, he was employed at DuPont at the Jackson Lab at Deepwater, NJ and later at Sunoco. Bob was the family photographer and provided the family with a wealth of photos while his nephews and nieces were growing up.

Bob was a lover and supporter of the arts in Philadelphia, regularly attending and so enjoying primarily the classical music of the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as dance of the Philadelphia Ballet and BalletX.  

He was a lifelong physical fitness devotee. He taught popular calisthenics classes at the Woodbury, NJ YMCA for many years and was a long-time member of the Riverwinds Community Center. He also maintained his interest and proficiency in Vietnamese and in a number of other languages. He was a bibliophile with an extensive collection of books and enjoyed a variety of music genres. Bob was the primary, skilled and caring caregiver for his parents in their declining years. He struggled with cancer and its treatments for many years all the while courageously trying to maintain his fitness and strength.

He is survived by his brothers, William R. (Anne Marie) Kelly, James P. Kelly, sister Lee Kelly-Mucha, nephews, nieces and cousins.

The family wishes to acknowledge and thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Home Care and Hospice and the Veterans Administration for their efforts and their care and concern for him during the last year of his life. The encouragement of his long time YMCA friends and devotees gave Bob great joy and solace through his final days.

Services for Bob will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2023 at St. Katharine of Siena Catholic Church at 104 South Aberdeen Avenue Wayne PA. Visitation will be at 11:00AM followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at noon.  Funeral Mass to be livestreamed beginning at 12:00 PM here: https://youtube.com/live/OS1U6aBUIuw?feature=share.  Following the Mass, burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery 626 Baily Road Yeadon, PA.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice or to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans or to the Wounded Warrior Project would be appreciated.