Shirley J. Kelly

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.