Obituaries

Leo J. Kelly of Houghs Neck passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at age 87. A lifelong Houghs Neck resident, he was a Korean War Veteran, US Navy and started his lifelong community service in Leo’s barber shop in Houghs Neck. Before retiring in 2014, city councilor Leo Kelly served nine terms (1973-1983 and 2003-2009) on the Quincy city council. Among his accomplishments, he was proud of helping start the Manet Community Health Center in Houghs Neck, which has since expanded to five sites. Passionate about preserving open space, Leo was instrumental in stopping the topping and filling in of Quincy Bay and ending plans to build the Nut Island sewage treatment plant there and working to preserve open spaces at the Granite Rail, Little Granite Quarry and General Palmer Park, plus acres of other marshland, including Broad Meadows and Brill Field. For 10 years he was the project manager for the Quincy Housing Authority and continued to serve on the Commission Board, helping residents with their problems. He helped with the oversight of the new Quincy High School and the Community Centers in Houghs Neck and Germantown. He was also a Board Member of Quincy Community Action and District Chair of the Blue Granite Rail Council, Quincy Boy Scouts. The Houghs Neck Garden Club honored him with the Leo J. Kelly Park. In the end, Leo was a passionate shopper at Home Goods.

The beloved husband of Margaret Milne-Kelly, Leo was the loving step-father of Lynne McKeever and her husband Brian of Quincy and Jill M. Gichuhi of Quincy; dear brother of John Kelly, Bernadette Kelly, both of Quincy, and the late Robert , Edward and Joseph Kelly; and is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to visiting hours which will be held on Thursday, December 19 from 4:00 to 8:00PM at the Dennis Sweeney Funeral Home 74 Elm St. Quincy Center. On Friday there will be a gathering at the funeral home at 9:00AM followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00AM at Holy Trinity Parish, Most Blessed Sacrament Church 1015 Sea St. Quincy. Burial with Military Honors is at Mount Wollaston Cemetery.

Donations in Leo’s memory may be made to the Germantown Neighborhood Center 366 Palmer St, Quincy, MA 02169 or the Quincy Garden Club Attn: Patty Williams 1193 Sea St. Quincy MA 02169.