Helen H. Kelly
06/13/1924 - 10/11/2021
Helen Hanrahan Kelly, 97, died of natural causes on Monday Oct. 11, 2021. Born in 1924 she grew up in the Bronx, NY. Helen was a graduate of Cathedral HS and the College of Mount St. Vincent where she majored in Business. Helen loved working and the independence it offered. She began her career in advertising as an Account Executive at J. Walter Thompson moving on to Abbott Kimball and Lieber Katz. In 1959 she landed a job selling advertising space for The New Yorker Magazine where she remained for the next 34 years rising to the position of Fashion and Retail Advertising Director. While at the The New Yorker, Helen served as President of the The Fashion Group International from 1984-1985 and she was also a past President of Fashion’s Inner Circle.
In 1952 she married John Love Kelly and raised two children Janet and J. Scott. They lived happily for 37 years in Cortlandt Manor, NY. In 1993, Helen and John retired and moved to Siesta Key, FL where they lived for 11 years. In 2004 Helen lost both her daughter to cancer and husband to heart attack, a devastating blow to her small family. In 2013, Helen moved to Plymouth Harbor a retirement community in Sarasota, FL where she remained until her death.
Helen was a board member for both The Women’s Resource Center and the Sarasota Orchestra Association. She was also on the fundraising committee for the Selby Library Reading Festival and was a member of the Mission Valley Golf & Country Club. Helen was predeceased by her father John J. Hanrahan, mother Ellen G. Hanrahan, husband John Love Kelly, daughter Janet M. Kelly, brother James F. Hanrahan, Sr., sister-in-law Eileen O’Reilly Hanrahan, beloved cousin Margaret (Peggy) O’Brien Mulholland. She is survived by her son J. Scott Kelly, granddaughter Lisa Alegi Spring, grandson’s Paul, Matthew and Marc Patrick Alegi, beloved niece Denise Hanrahan Ciafone, nephew’s Stephen and James Hanrahan, Jr. along with nine great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation in Helen’s name to: College of Mount Saint Vincent, 6301 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale, NY 10471.