Edward Francis "Eddie" Kelly
November 3, 1917 – June 16, 2012
"Eddie" Edward Francis Kelly, 94, of West Haven, beloved husband of Mary Pergolatto Kelly, died Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Hospital of St. Raphael. Eddie was born in New Haven on November 3, 1917, son of the late Peter and Anna Hyack Kelly. He attended Truman School and Hillhouse High School, and worked at the U.S. Motors Division of Emerson Electric prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942.
He attained the rank of Tech Sergeant and was a Radio Operator/Waist Gunner on a B-17. He completed 35 bombing missions in the European Theater and received several combat medals. On return to the U.S. he was sent to train new recruits at Scott Field, Illinois.
At the end of WW II he returned home to his job at U. S. Motors until his retirement in 1982. Eddie was a communicant of Our Lady of Victory Church for 60 years, and a past member of the West Shore Bowling Club and the West Shore Horseshoe Club. He was also a past member of the U.S. Air Force Round Table, the 95th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force, as well as the U.S. Motors Retirees Club.
He enjoyed music, travel, and sports, but most of all, loved working on home projects. Always a kind, helpful man, Eddie was a true gentleman and he will be very deeply missed by all who knew him.
Besides his wife Mary, Eddie leaves many beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Charles Kelly, and two sisters, Rose Kelly and Florence Poulin.
The funeral will be from the Keenan Funeral Home, 238 Elm Street, West Haven, Wednesday morning at 10:15. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 at Our Lady Of Victory Church. Burial with Military Honors will be at St. Lawrence Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the funeral home Tuesday evening from 4 to 8 pm.
Gifts in Eddie's memory may be made to Our Lady of Victory Church, 600 Jones Hill Road, West Haven, CT 06516 or to the Alzheimer's Association, CT Chapter, 2075 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Those wishing to offer words of condolence online may do so at www.keenanfuneralhome.com
New Haven Register (CT) - Sunday, June 17, 2012