Shirley J. Kelly, 83, of Amsterdam, NY; passed away Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, at the
University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington after a brief, but brave, battle against
cancer.
A lifelong resident of Amsterdam, she was the youngest of five children of the late
Kenneth and Catherine (Newkirk) Mochrie. “Big Shirley,” as she was affectionately
known in her family, was a lively, strong, beautiful woman with a big heart who prided
herself on “telling it like it is.”
In 1956, she interrupted her education at Amsterdam High School to marry the love of
her life, John J. Kelly, of Amsterdam. They brought up three daughters—Kelly, Tracy
and Jennifer “J.J.”— in the home where John, his father, and his grandfather before
him, were raised. She and John enjoyed several years of boating on Sacandaga Lake
when the girls were young. Shirley loved being a mother and supported their children’s
academics and interests. She served as a Girl Scout leader at St. Mary’s Institute for 10
years, so that each daughter could participate in turn. Shirley always enjoyed books,
board games, movies (especially “The Godfather” and James Bond franchises), and
trivia games.
Because she had left school to get married, Shirley always impressed upon her
children the importance of getting a good education. A bright woman and voracious
reader, she taught all three daughters to read before starting school, played educational
games with them and encouraged their professional ambitions. With her continual
encouragement, all three daughters did earn advanced degrees.
She was a stay-at-home mom while the children were young. When they got older, she
worked as a hostess at the Holiday Inn in Amsterdam and worked her way up into a
managerial position. Later, she worked as a direct support professional with the
Montgomery County ARC. Then she went to work at the J.C. Penney catalog store in
Amsterdam with her friend since kindergarten, Dolores “Dee” Ross. By the time Shirley
retired from Penney’s, she was the store manager.
For seven decades, Shirley and Dee were like sisters. They laughed together, engaged
in hijinks together, talked for hours on end and were practically inseparable. Shirley was
also very close to her brothers—Kenneth, Robert and Everett “Skip” Mochrie—and
sister Patricia “Patty” Baniewicz. She was a loving aunt to her 20 nieces and nephews,
and their many children and grandchildren. They knew that Aunt Shirley would always
have their backs with her love, support and even a spare bedroom, when needed.
But Shirley’s pride and joy were her grandchildren: Ian and Kathryn “Katie” Szyjkowski,
Kelly and Meghan Davey, Raz O’Connor, and Jack and Scott Eltman. She loved nothing
more than spending hours entertaining them with stories, card tricks and games—so
many hours of Uno! She was also content to watch them play hours of sports or video
games just to be involved in their lives. She stated several times during her illness that
she wanted to survive “for her grandchildren.”
Although not a Kelly by birth, Shirley loved the family homestead and successfully
fought to remain in the house when New York State planned to demolish it during
construction of the Route 5 arterial in the 1970s. When John passed away suddenly in
1986, mere weeks after their 30th wedding anniversary, Shirley was devastated but
determined to keep the house for the sake of their children and his memory; she
continued to live there until her death. She had a soft spot for children and animals,
especially her dogs. In accordance with her wishes, the ashes of her last three
dogs—Wolfie, Montgomery and Bear—will be buried with her.
Shirley is survived by her three daughters Kelly Ann Kelly, Ph.D. (Ronald Szyjkowski,
M.D.), of Fayetteville, NY; Tracy Davey, M.S., C.A.S., of Westhampton Beach, NY; and
Jennifer J. Kelly, D.O. (Jason Eltman, D.O.), of South Burlington, VT; her seven
grandchildren; sister-in-law Joanne Mochrie of Bay City, MI; sister-in-law Margaret Stelly
of Norwalk, CT; brother-in-law Robert Kelly (Roberta) of Amsterdam, NY; and her best
friend, Dolores Ross of Amsterdam, NY.
Shirley will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Johnny, at St. Mary’s Cemetery,
Fort Johnson, NY, on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. She did not want a funeral or calling
hours, so the burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Shirley’s name may be made to St. Jude’s Children
Research Hospital, an organization that she supported generously during her lifetime.
To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.rileymortuaryinc.com.
Visits: 3
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors