THOMAS KELLY

KELLY--Thomas James. Kelly, Thomas (Tom) James, of Wellesley, MA and New York, NY passed away unexpectedly in New York on May 14th. Tom came of age in Alaska as it became a state just before his 9th grade year. He traveled east to Trinity College in Hartford, CT followed by Harvard Law School in Boston. While in law school he met the love of his life, Roberta Banay. The two were married in 1968 and soon after welcomed their two daughters, Christina and Kim. Tom was a true family man as nothing was more important than his wife and children. Though he was one of the most revered corporate
lawyers at Herrick and Smith and then Mintz, Levin in Boston, he never missed a single opportunity to spend time and celebrate the joys of his family. Whether it was on the sidelines of one of his daughter's soccer games, giving a toast about his devotion to Roberta, or relaxing and reading in the shade on a Tuscan beach with the whole family, Tom was happiest with the wonderful women whom he supported unconditionally in all of their endeavours. Over the past decade Tom and Roberta slowly transitioned to a part time and then permanent move to New York City so that they could develop a close relationship with their three grandsons, Huck, Alessandro and Massimo. Tom's love quickly spread with the absolute joy he took from spending as much time as possible with these three young men who were able to develop close relationships to this absolutely amazing man who embodied true compassion, strength, intelligence and love for all. While nurturing this amazing family, Tom was a highly successful senior partner described by his firm as "an investment funds, products and services guru". Beyond handling his clients with the utmost of care and attention, he took great pride in helping mentor younger lawyers in the New York office. In addition to practicing law, he served on the Board at Wheelock College and was a generous philanthropist for education, the arts and youth sports. Tom will be greatly missed by Roberta, Christina, Stephanie, and Huck, Kim, Kelly, Massimo and Alessandro, his sister Kate Hutchinson (Annapolis, Maryland), Ron and Alex Banay (Shirley, MA), and his nieces Sophie, Rachel and Emma (New York). There will be a celebration of Tom's life in June in both Boston and New York. In lieu of flowers please make a donation at the link below to continue support of education and youth sports via the Tom Kelly Memorial Fund. https://www.gofundme.com/tom-kelly-memorial-fund