Frank S. Kelley, 93, of Keene, formerly of Greenfield, Mass., and Northfield, Mass., died Thursday, April 18, 2024, at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene.
He was born in Orange, Mass., on Feb. 23, 1931, the son of Burton and Mabel (Furkey) Kelley. Frank attended Greenfield, Mass., schools and graduated from Greenfield High School in 1949. He served in the U.S. Navy and after service attended Bryant College in Providence, R.I., graduating in 1953 on the Dean’s List with a degree in business administration.
After college he went to work for the Northfield Washed Sand and Gravel Co. and after a period, he became co-owner of the company, along with Northfield Concrete Products and Brattleboro Sand and Gravel Co. in Vermont. The company provided concrete and raw materials for homes and businesses, including large projects including the Turners Falls Bridge, Vermont Yankee atomic power plant and the Northfield Mountain project. The company was sold in 1985, at which time he retired. Frank also served on the board of directors at the former Country Bank in Greenfield, Mass. He was also on the board of the Our Lady of Providence Children’s Center in Holyoke, Mass., and had served as President of the Northfield Kiwanis Club. Additionally, he served on the boards of Massachusetts and Vermont Ready Mix Concrete Association.
Frank was a sportsman who enjoyed fishing and boating with his family and friends. He was a lifelong Boston sports fan and was a Patriots season ticket holder for 12 years. After college, Frank was an undersized but tough center playing for the Greenfield Lions semi-pro football team for seven years. After retirement, he enjoyed golf and was a former member of the Country Club of Greenfield and Royal Palms Country Club in Naples, Fla.
He is survived by his beautiful, loving wife of 69 years, Dorothy. Frank used every opportunity to tell family and friends how lucky he was to have found and married such a wonderful woman. They enjoyed years of adventures together, raising a large family, traveling the world, playing endless rounds of golf and just enjoying each others’ company.
He is also survived by their six children: Debra Best and her husband, Brian, of Smithfield, Va.; Cathy Carter and her husband, Jeff, of Spofford; Frank Jr. and his wife, Jan, of Braintree, Mass.; John and his wife, Barbi, of Westminster, Mass.; Bob of Barnstead; and Susan Yach and her husband, Jack, of Oshkosh, Wis..; eight grandchildren: Kimberly Hayes and her husband, Kevin, of Spofford; Nathan Carter and his wife, Carissa, of Spofford; Christina Carter of Keene; Mary Haigh and her husband, Steven, of Newport News, Va.; Alexandra Kelley of Boxboro, Mass.; Andrew Kelley and his wife, Rachel, of New York City; Brandon Yach and his wife, Kirbie, of Westminster, Colo.; and John Kelley of Boston; and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. at the Kidder Funeral Home, 1 Parker Ave., Northfield, Mass., followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial in St. Patrick’s Church, Main St., Northfield, Mass., at 10 a.m. The Rev. Paul Bombardier, administrator, will officiate. Burial with full military honors will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Greenfield, Mass.
Friends may call at the Kidder funeral home on Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Donations in his memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Plaza, Memphis TN 38105-9959.
