Barbara Ann Kelly

Barbara Kelly, lovingly known as Nana, passed away peacefully at home on August 2, 2023, in Jupiter, FL. Barbara lived life with purpose and you can plainly see it in the legacy of the people whose lives she touched. Barbara was born Barbara Ann Mancini on November 20, 1953, in Lawrence, MA. She was inspired by her trailblazing mother, Virginia, who was “a woman ahead of her time” and rose through the ranks to manage a department of hundreds of people at the IRS offices in Massachusetts. Her father Luigi, a Lawrence Police Officer and WWII veteran, embodied a life of service, and importantly showed her how a husband should support his wife as she pursued a purposeful life. She would later use that filter when selecting her husband Robert Kelly, describing how much her father loved Rob. That would come later though – for at the age of 9 she was blessed by the arrival of a baby brother, Louis (Kathy) Mancini. She embraced him at first as her “living doll” and throughout her life Barbara maintained an incredibly close relationship with Louis. As a child he did frustrate her by cleaning his plate of vegetables which Nana continued to refuse to do as recently as last month. Fortunately Virginia taught Barbara to make her famous fried dough (no vegetables in sight) which is regularly demanded by Barbara’s four grandchildren – Quinn Kelly, Jude Kelly, Liam Foster, and Izzy Foster. Barbara was a stellar student graduating at the top of her class at St Mary High School. She enjoyed the nuns of St Mary’s so much that she told her father she was considering joining a convent, leading to the one and only career intervention by her father and Barbara ultimately deciding to be the first in her family to attend a four-year university - the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Her steadfast Catholic faith was a hallmark of her life and the basis for the servant leadership she would eventually practice. Nana would frequently tell the story to her granddaughter Quinn (and Izzy will read this soon) of how the MCP admissions officer asked her “why should he give a spot to her, when she would just get married and quit pharmacy.” Of course she got in, graduated a semester early, and was once again at the top of her class. Surely she smiled, when later in life, she became the Assistant Dean of Students and Academic Affairs at the Palm Beach Atlantic Gregory School of Pharmacy and oversaw pharmacy school admissions herself. In addition to finding her calling in healthcare at MCP she also found the love of her life, Rob Kelly. They married in college and in search of work moved to the then small town of Jupiter, FL, where they built the remainder of their lives. Perhaps attracted by their nuns, Barbara took her first position at St. Mary’s hospital and like her mother she rose through the ranks to serve as the Director of Pharmacy during a 20 year career filled with coworkers who still love her to this day. To the amazement of her two children Jason (Hillary) Kelly and Amanda (Matt) Foster who are now parents of young children – Barbara worked a demanding job, ran three marathons and a number of half-marathons, took night classes to acquire a master’s degree, and yet never missed an important event in her children’s lives. She was always there for them and was the solid base on which they built their lives and families. She was so proud of what her children accomplished, scholastically and in their careers (a son who attended MIT and a daughter who became a pharmacist), but most importantly in the warm and caring families they were building. In 2003, Barbara embarked on a new career as a founding administrator and faculty member of the newly formed Palm Beach Atlantic Gregory School of Pharmacy. In this role she was well-acquainted with almost all of the students and graduates of the school and many commented that she made them feel like they could accomplish anything. She was especially proud when her daughter Amanda graduated from the Gregory School in 2010. Notably, she developed a new service-learning elective course in partnership with Urban Youth Impact. Through this program she showed many students how to use the gifts they had - their education and opportunity - to help those in need. She encouraged them to live lives of purpose. In 2022 she made the decision to retire and was given the prestigious title of Associate Professor Emerita of Pharmacy Practice. With only minor prodding, Barbara’s children blessed her with four grandchildren (Quinn, Jude, Liam, and Izzy) with the first born in 2012. Overnight, Barb or Mom became “Nana” – and Nana was going to be deeply involved in her grandkids' lives. She had wisdom to share, lessons of her faith, and even started a summer camp – “Camp Blairsville” at the family vacation home in Georgia to welcome the grandchildren without the interference of their parents. She didn’t just do this for her immediate family either. Nana was the glue for her extended family – knowing every birthday, major event, and all the connections in a sprawling Italian family – and taking photographs of it all. In the summer of 2022 she traveled with all her children, grandchildren, her brother and his family, and close family and friends to undertake the Catholic pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It had long been a dream for Nana and connected her to pilgrims as far back as the 10th century. Although fighting cancer, she walked 100 kilometers during a record-breaking heat wave in Spain and completed the pilgrimage after seven days of walking. On the final day, she entered the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela surrounded by her children, grandchildren, family, and friends. Yet another lesson from Nana on living a life with purpose. Barbara made family, friends, colleagues, students and everyone she met feel seen and significant when they spoke to her because she saw the best in everyone. She inspired so many of us to live a life with purpose. We will miss you Nana. In lieu of flowers, and in accordance with her wishes, we invite you to honor her memory and her unwavering faith and commitment to the betterment of others through charitable contributions to the Barbara Kelly Memorial Annual Scholarship. This scholarship will assist first-generation college students enrolled at the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy. To make a secure online donation, please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/pgsf and include "In Memory of Barbara Kelly" in the comments section. If you prefer to make a donation over the phone, we invite you to reach out to Lisa Aaron, the Gift Services Manager, at (561) 803-2007. A Celebration of Life will be held at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home in Jupiter FL, on Wednesday August 30th, from 4:00pm-7:00pm, with a Prayer Service being held from 6:00pm-6:30pm. The family extends an invitation to a reception at the family home, following services. Additional services will also be held in Methuen, MA. For service details, please visit https://www.cataudellafh.com/tributes/Barbara-Kelly.

Barbara Ann Kelly

November 20, 1953 - August 2, 2023