Martin J. KELLY

KELLY, Dr. Martin J. Passed away on Sunday, December 24, 2023, after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Judith (Beaulieu); and his two sons, Matthew John and Daniel; his grandchildren, Brennan, Alaina, Chase and Ben and Violet and Tanner. He was born in Boston and raised in Roslindale in a close Irish-Catholic family that includes his surviving siblings, AnnMarie, Bill and Maggie Kelly-Hayes.

He attended local parochial schools including Boston College High and Boston College. He received his medical education at Tufts University School of Medicine. He served his internship at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, followed by a psychiatric residency at The Massachusetts Mental Health Center. After year at Boston State Hospital, he joined the staff of the then Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. There, he and Dr. Peter Reich started the psychiatric service in 1970, where he continued to be on the staff until the time of his passing.

His first academic appointment was in 1966 as Teaching Fellow In Psychiatry and subsequently had positions as Instructor in Psychiatry, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His service to the medical school included The Admissions Committee among others.

He was a long-time member of The American Psychiatric Association and was awarded the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a member of several other organizations, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and other professional societies and organizations. He served on the board of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health for several decades.

His major interest in psychiatry was in the subspecialty of Psychosomatic Medicine/Medical Psychiatry. He also provided contributions to medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Harrison's Textbook of Principles of Internal Medicine. Dr. Kelly continued to have an active clinical practice, seeing patients, supervising residents and medical students as well as mentoring staff at the Brigham and Harvard Medical School.

In the mid-1970s, he was consulted by district attorneys in matters before the court. This led to consultation in many cases, including several high-profile cases, over several decades, Dr. Kelly was asked to consult on over 400 homicide cases for both the prosecution and the defense. He was also a consultant in many civil matters, both for plaintiffs and defendants.

Over the years, Dr. Kelly had interests that included squash, tennis, skiing, sailing and fishing. He and his family enjoyed trips to Utah and Colorado, as well as trips to Europe to name a few. His interest in sailing began modestly and eventually led to participation in local and international competitive events. These included multiple Newport to Bermuda Races, a Transatlantic Race and U.S. Championships. Dr. Kelly was also qualified as Captain/Master Mariner 100-ton by the United States Coast Guard. He was a member of the race committee at the New York Yacht Club and The Storm Trysail Club and participated in events at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport. As part of these organizations, he was involved in officiating at multiple local, national and international regattas.

A Mass of Christian Burial, to which relatives and friends are invited, will be Wednesday, January 3, 2023, at St. John the Baptist Church, 945 Main Rd., Westport, MA at 11:00 A.M. Visitation will be Tuesday, from 4 to 8 P.M., at the Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Rd., WESTPORT, MA. Interment will be private. For directions or to sign the online guestbook, please visit

www.potterfuneralservice.com