James Kelly of East Hampton and Tarpon Springs, Fla., a retired General Foods executive, sports enthusiast, and proud Irish-American, died at home in East Hampton on Nov. 2. He was 87 and had cancer for the last two years.
After a long career with General Foods, Mr. Kelly retired in 1991 as the company’s director of corporate accounting in its international division. There, his family wrote, he was “known for his unwavering commitment to his team,” taking pride in recruiting young talent and instilling the same values he lived by — “hard work, dedication, and integrity. Jim set high expectations for his team, yet no one worked harder than he did. His colleagues and friends admired his leadership, and many remember him as a mentor who genuinely cared for their success.”
Born near Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to Peter J. Kelly and the former Helene Graham on Sept. 9, 1937, James Peter Kelly grew up a die-hard Dodgers fan, inspired by his favorite player, Pee Wee Reese. His passion for sports extended to basketball and football, and he was a lifelong golfer.
He graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
Mr. Kelly and Kathleen White were married on Nov. 3, 1962, and were one day away from their 62nd anniversary. They raised their family in Nanuet, N.Y., and built their “dream house” in East Hampton in 1985. The couple split their time between East Hampton and Tarpon Springs, “where they enjoyed life to the fullest, dancing with friends and traveling the high seas on many a cruise,” his family wrote.
He had a MacGyver-like reputation, with a knack for fixing anything. “No matter how unconventional his methods were, he got the job done with a generous heart and steady hands.”
Mr. Kelly was an Army veteran and took pride in his Irish heritage, which he expressed as an active member of East Hampton’s Irish American Society.
A member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church here, he served as an acolyte and Eucharistic minister. “His commitment to his church and community was a reflection of his generous spirit and his desire to help those around him,” his family wrote.
In addition to his wife, he leaves a daughter, Kara Kelly, and her husband, Terry McClenahan, of Buffalo; a son, Mark Kelly, and his wife, Kelly Kelly, of Raleigh, N.C.; a sister, Betty Lonegan of Monroe Township, N.J., and a daughter-in-law, Marilyn Kelly of Pleasantville, N.Y. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Katie and Rory McClenahan and Paige, Gracie, and Caroline Kelly.
A sister, Maureen Smithem, and a son, Jim Kelly, died before him.
Following services on Nov. 9 at Most Holy Trinity, with the Rev. Ryan Creamer officiating, Mr. Kelly was buried at the church cemetery on Cedar Street.
Memorial donations have been suggested to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, online at lymphoma.org, or to East End Hospice at eeh.org.
