Joseph E. Kelley

Joseph "Joe" Kelley, 73, of Chatham, NJ, passed away on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

Born on May 18, 1952, in Redwood City, CA, to Joseph and Helen Patricia (McEvoy) Kelley, Joe was raised in Morristown, NJ. He was a graduate of Delbarton School, Emerson College, and Seton Hall Law School.

Joe dedicated his life to public service and the law. A former administrative law judge and longtime official with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities' Office of Cable Television, he was known for his leadership in protecting consumers, including his role in 1978 fighting to prevent an increase in basic residential telephone bills by New Jersey Bell Telephone. He spent over a decade as a partner at the Chatham law firm of Maloof, Lebowitz, Connahan, and Oleski, and sixteen years as a senior trial lawyer at Zirulnik, Sherlock & DeMille in Roseland. Since 2024, he has operated his own practice in Chatham specializing in alternative dispute resolution. In February 2025, he was appointed by Governor Phil Murphy to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, where he served as commissioner.

Above all, Joe was a devoted husband, brother, son, father, and grandfather. He is survived by the love of his life, Gwen; his two children, Joseph (Kimberly Spoerri) and Krista (Stephen Desmond); and his cherished grandchildren, Olivia, Eden, Farrell, Jack, and Eloise; and his brother, Dennis (Margie). He is predeceased by his parents, and his brother Bill.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe's memory may be made to The Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Rd., Millington, NJ 07946 (www.theraptortrust.org) or to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, 310 South Street, 4th Floor, Morristown, NJ 07960 with a designation to the Intensive Care Unit (f4mmc.org)