Thomas Nicholas Kelly III, 74 of Newport, RI, passed away unexpectedly on August 13, 2021. He was the beloved husband of Denise M. (Archambault) Kelly.
A lifelong resident of Newport, he was the son of the late Mary (Styles) and Thomas Kelly Jr.
Tom and Denise celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary on August 12th. He had two sons of whom he was very proud, Thomas (Anna) Kelly of Sweden and Ian Kelly of Newport. The light of his life was his two grandchildren, Hannah, and Ronan. He leaves his three siblings, Mary “Kitchie” (Ray) Chestnut, Roni (Tom) Mahoney and Bill “Honey” (Deb) Kelly.
Tom was a graduate of De La Salle Academy, Class of 1965, and a member of their great basketball team.
Tom owned and operated two Newport clothing stores for many years. First, he opened Mr. Kelly’s on lower Thames St, then Mrs. Kelly’s in the Brick Market. He was instrumental in raising money to bring back the 4th of July fireworks to Newport. He served on the Newport Police parade committee and helped bring Pop Warner back to the Island. He started the 5th Ward AC Softball Team and was captain for over a decade.
Tom was a proud member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Dennis E. Collins Division 1, Newport. He was named Hibernian of the Year in 1993. Tom was also a member of the Newport Irish Heritage Committee. He created the Newport Irish Music Festival and ran it until he became ill. He brought many fine Irish music groups to perform in Newport. He never missed a St. Patrick’s Day Parade and could always be spotted in his custom made, green suit.
His little piece of heaven was Gooseberry Beach where he was a lifetime member. He could always be spotted sitting on the deck reading a book or listening to the oldies. Tommy loved a party and was always planning a family get together. Family was the most important thing to him.
He leaves a large family including many a nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews whom he enjoyed immensely. He was a true Irish 5th Warder.
Visiting hours will be held Sunday, August 22 from 3:00pm – 6:00 pm at the O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring St, Newport. A Mass of Christian burial will be on Monday, August 23 at St. Augustin’s Church, Carroll Avenue, Newport at 10:00 am. Burial St. Columba Cemetery, 465 Brown’s Ln, Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to the Hillside Charitable Organization, PO Box 594, Newport, RI 02840.
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