John F. Kelliher

BLACKSTONE - John F. Kelliher, 81, of Blackstone, Mass., a retired newspaper editor, died Feb 7, 2015. He was the husband of Margaret (Reilly) Kelliher.
Other survivors are a son, Jonathan Kelliher, of San Francisco, Calif.; a daughter, Miriam Kelliher, and her husband Robert Epstein, of Fairfield, Conn.; and grandsons Joseph Kelliher Epstein and Nathaniel Kelliher Epstein, both of Fairfield.
Born in Waterbury, Conn., he was a veteran of the U. S. Air Force, a graduate of Boston University, a member of the Boston University College of Communication Leadership Circle and a former member of the Blackstone Finance Committee.
He moved to Blackstone - his wife's hometown - in 1998. He retired after 34 years with The Wall Street Journal in New York as a copy editor, chief copy editor and news editor. Earlier in his career he was a reporter for United Press International in Hartford, Conn.; a reporter and editor at the Waterbury Republican and American, and night wire editor at the Buffalo Evening News.
An eclectic reader, he enjoyed a wide range of fiction and nonfiction A lifelong music lover, his tastes ran from Beethoven to Basie to Brubeck; his opera favorites were works by Puccini and Verdi.
In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his sister-in-law Katharine Epp and her husband Bill; his two brothers-in-law, Gene Reilly and his wife Joan, and Hugh Reilly and his wife Natalie Pishenin; his dear friend Irene Carpenter; and many much-loved nieces and nephews.
His family wish to express their gratitude to the staff of the Friendly Nursing Home, whose skill, kindness and humor blessed the end of his life.
A memorial service is planned for the spring. Donations may be made to the Boston University College of Communication Scholarship Fund. Arrangements are entrusted to the Egidio DiPardo & Sons Funeral Home, 75 Harris Ave, Woonsocket, R.I. www.dipardofuneralhome.com