John Kelly Jr., M.D. (N ’77)

SEPTEMBER 27, 1943 – AUGUST 18, 2023

John J. Kelly, Jr., MD age 79, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his loving family on Friday, August 18, 2023. Beloved husband of 57 years to Patricia.

John Joseph Kelly, Jr., MD was born in Providence, RI on September 27, 1943, to Rhode Island natives John Joseph Kelly, Sr. and Doris Elizabeth Barlow. The family resided in West Warwick, RI for all of John’s childhood.

John attended Deering High School where he excelled at academics as well as athletics throughout his four years. He was a consistent honor roll student and varsity letterman in both football and baseball. He starred on the football field as a halfback, and on the baseball team as catcher and batting cleanup. His sophomore year, he was part of the football State Champion team. His senior year, he was part of the baseball State Champion team and was also on the State American Legion title winning team. He was selected as First Team All-State as catcher. That year he was also selected as First Team All-State in football. For his athletic accomplishments he was named the 1960 Thom McAn MVP Award for Rhode Island High School Football. John rounded out his extracurriculars with his achievement of Eagle Scout and his participation in the Chess Club. John also received the Elks Leadership Award presented in the Oval Office by President Kennedy.

Equally successful in the classroom, upon graduation from high school in 1961, John enrolled at Brown University. He again excelled in pre-medical academics while also playing football (fullback and linebacker) all four years and baseball his freshman and sophomore year. He was honored as part of the Brown University Football Team of the Decade – 1960s. He graduated from Brown University in 1965 with a major in Classics. Some awards received: Class of 1910 Football Trophy and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

John was awarded The Rhodes Scholarship but instead enrolled in the Yale School of Medicine, where he graduated with honors in 1969. He completed his Internal Medicine Internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Medical Center before serving in the United States Public Health Service in 1971. While serving as a U.S. Public Health Service physician, he was stationed at the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Native American Reservation in Poplar, Montana. He provided medical care to Assiniboine and Sioux tribes for two years. While serving in the Public Health Service, he became very interested in focusing his medical career in the neurosciences.

In 1973, his service in the USPHS completed, he was accepted into the Mayo Clinic Neurology residency program in Rochester, Minnesota. Upon completing his neurology residency, he was awarded the Henry W. Woltman Award as the outstanding graduating resident. He continued at Mayo with a Fellowship in Clinical and Electrodiagnostic Neurophysiology for one year with Dr. Edward Lambert. He was appointed to faculty as Assistant Professor of Neurology.

In 1981, John became Associate Professor of Neurology and Director, Electromyography Laboratory at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston. He was soon promoted Full Professor and Head of the Neuromuscular section.

In 1991, he became the Chair of Neurology at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. During his time there, he founded the GWU Neurological Institute, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinic, the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Clinic, and Neurology Fellowships.

Dr. Kelly was Chief, Department of Neurology and Deputy Director, Cooper Neurological Institute, Camden, NJ in 2011. There he founded the Neurological Institute and developed the neuromuscular and stroke programs.

A culmination of his years of research, publishing, and clinical teaching he achieved international recognition for his expertise in neuromuscular disorders. More importantly, John served as an inspiring mentor and teacher for countless medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. He retired from clinical practice at GWUMC as Professor Emeritus in 2016.

On June 26, 1966, he was blessed to marry the love of his life, Patricia Karen Walsh. They met in college when Patricia was visiting Dick Stone, a friend of John’s at Brown. Since John was Catholic, Dick asked him to take Patricia to Mass – the rest is history!

After getting married, John and Patricia settled in Connecticut and in 1969 were thrilled at the birth of their daughter Moira and then 19 months later overjoyed with the birth of their second daughter Megan. This began a new chapter of John’s life as a father. And true to form, he knocked it out of the park!

John had many passions in life. He was an avid reader, an expert in history, a deft poet, loved sports, baking bread and pies at the holidays. He enjoyed sailing, hunting, fishing and just being in nature with his hunting dog, Lady on his farm in Chestertown, MD. He especially loved being an ever-willing playmate and loving grandfather to his five grandchildren.

John’s educational legacy continues after his death as he chose to participate in the Brain Tissue Donation Program of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

John’s family is grateful for the dedicated caregivers from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department, Broad Reach Hospice, the ever-responsive Orleans Fire and Rescue, the Community of Jesus Brothers, and the Nauset Neighbors volunteers who helped make it possible for John to remain in the home he loved.

We will miss terribly our husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. We will forever cherish the privilege of knowing him and receiving his love.

In addition to his loving wife, John leaves behind his caring daughters: Moira (James) Scanlon and Megan Kelly Kossar (Charles Burgess), cherished grandchildren: John, James, Jude, Isabell, and David; brother and sisters: Peter (Lori) Kelly, Colleen Mellor (Paul Gates), and Sharon Kelly (Rick Marcotte) as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his brother and sisters-in-law, Dennis Walsh, Elizabeth Walsh, and Susan Walsh. John was predeceased by his brother-in-law James Walsh.

In honor of John, a Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 11:00 AM at St. Joan of Arc Church, 61 Canal Road, Orleans, MA 02653. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made payable to John J. Kelly ALS Clinic, MFA, Attn: Ellie Bayat, MD, George Washington University Medical Center, Neurology Department, 9th Floor, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.