Eugene J. Kelley Jr.

1937 - 2022

Eugene J. Kelley, Jr. died on December 3, 2022, due to complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 85 years old. Gene loved practicing law, art, sculpture, literature, theater, movies, music, athletics, and travel. He combined his love of sports and travel by attending several of the Olympic Games with his wife, Anne Kelley. In addition to his study and admiration of the arts and literature, he enjoyed creating sculptures and composing poetry. He was also greatly attached to his farmland in Elizabeth, IL. He was born in Chicago, IL in 1937. He grew up in Winnetka, IL, and attended New Trier Township High School, where he excelled as a wrestler before going on to earn a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame in 1959. In 1963 he graduated with a J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law, where he was the Winner of the American Jurisprudence Award for Trial Practice and Pleading. Gene enjoyed a successful career as a commercial litigation attorney, serving as Partner and Co-Chair of the Litigation Group of Arnstein & Lehr LLP. In addition to the many cases he tried to verdict in both state and federal courts, he also won several major class action cases. He was also an instructor for the Illinois National Conference on Consumer Finance, the Practicing Law Institute, and the American Bar Association, and served as an advisor to the members of the state's largest risk pool, for which he was corporate counsel. He was a founding Board Member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel and was selected as a member of the Leading Lawyers Network of Illinois. Gene also served as the President of the Condominium Board at 1212 N. Lakeshore Drive, where he resided with his wife Anne for 25 years prior to retiring to Galena, IL. Aside from his career, one of Gene's greatest accomplishments was preventing the Illinois Department of Transportation from building a "North Corridor" highway through Guilford Township. He was also deeply committed to his work with feeding the homeless through Holy Name Cathedral and Catholic Charities, where he faithfully organized Thursday night dinners for 15 years. Gene now joins Anne J. Kelley, his wife of 50 years, who passed in 2018. He is survived by his daughter, Maria Kelley, and his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Fatima Kelley, and two grandchildren, Corinna and Zion Kelley, as well as his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Arnold, and his nieces and nephews, Colin Kelley, Tucker Kelley, Margaret Kelley, Marc Ferranti, Peter Ferranti, Paul Ferranti, Tom Ferranti, Mary Ferranti, and John Ferranti. A memorial service for Gene will be held at the Catholic Church of St. Mary, 112 E. Washington Street, Elizabeth, IL at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 14, 2023. A reception will follow at the DeSoto House Hotel, 230 S. Main Street, Galena, IL from 2 to 4 PM. The Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Holy Name Cathedral, 750 N Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Please specify "dinner" in the memo.

Online condolences may be left at www.furlongfuneralchapel.com