Catherine Teresa (Neubeck) Kelly

Catherine Teresa Kelly nee Neubeck was born at 20th and M St, NW, Washington, DC on December 1, 1933, and was baptized at St. Matthews nearby. She was the third child of Mary M. Madden Neubeck and Francis G. Neubeck. She attended Saint Steven’s grade school at 24th and K. St and Holy Trinity High School in Georgetown where she played on the basketball team, the Trinity Termites. After graduating from High School Catherine attended Dumbarton College for one year and transferred to Visitation Junior College so that she could graduate with a two-year degree and marry the love of her life, Joseph Michael Kelly. Plans changed and she withdrew after just one more semester because Joe was in the Army and had received orders to serve in Thule, Greenland. They were married on December 11, 1954, at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly after they were married Joe’s orders changed and he was to serve instead at Ft. Meyer in Arlington, Virginia, to the delight of both sets of parents! They moved into the Glenelg apartment building in Arlington. As their young family grew, they moved to the Washington and Lee apartments and a few years later bought their first home in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Catherine worked briefly at the Army Map Service (currently the Defense Mapping Agency) while in college, then devoted herself to caring for her growing family. In early 1962 Joe came home from work and shared that they were being offered the opportunity to go to Japan for his work with the government. Catherine was ready for the adventure and a few months later they were heading across the Pacific Ocean with five small children, the oldest six and a half years old, and a sixth on the way.

In 1964 they returned to Washington and bought a home just two blocks from where her parents lived and where she had lived since she was three, in the Palisades neighborhood. The location provided many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors with its proximity to the Potomac River and the C&O canal, and the amazing cultural experience of the National museums downtown which she shared with her children and instilled a deep appreciation for the outdoors, nature, and their cultural heritage. Tent camping or visiting one of the beaches in Maryland or Virginia were her preferred vacation destinations.

Catherine worked as a volunteer at the ZOO Lab at the National Zoo for five years in the 1980s sharing her love for nature with school children from all over the DC area. She also worked at the polls for each election during the 1980s and 1990s and was always happy to serve as a juror whenever she was selected for this.

In 2004 Catherine and Joe relocated to Marion, Illinois to be close to their youngest daughter and that is where they spent the last 19 years of their lives. Joe passed away in September of 2022 and with the love of her life no longer at her side her health began to fail.

Catherine died peacefully on April 8, 2023, at Reflections Memory Care in Herrin, Illinois with her children by her side.

Catherine is survived by her beloved brother, F. Gregory Neubeck, six  of her seven children, Patricia Kelly, Karen Kelly-Shea (Denny) , Jeanne Marie Nealon (Bob), Mary Margaret Kelly (Mike Thompson), Brian Kelly (Stefania), and Monica Murphy (John), a nephew Greg Neubeck, Jr. grandchildren Kelly Rose and Emmet Shea, Ryan, Emma, Kelly Marie and Gavin Nealon, Thomas Kelly, Austin Waller Griffin, Dylan, Alesandra and Liam Kelly and EllaMarie and Sean Murphy and five great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her Parents Mary and Frank Neubeck, her husband Joseph M. Kelly, her sister Mary Ann Richeson, son Michael G. Kelly, Niece Ann Neubeck and nephew Jim Richeson.

Binkley-Ross Funeral Home has been entrusted to assist the family with arrangements. Visitation will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale, Illinois on Saturday, April 15 from 9:00-11:00 Am with Funeral Mass celebrated at 11:00. Catherine will be inurned at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church or to the Friends of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.

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