1928 – 2003
PORTLAND – Barbara Jean Knauer Kelly, 75, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Aug. 27, at a Portland nursing home, after a courageous battle with dementia.
Born in Rumford, July 23, 1928, the daughter of the late John and Christine Cyr Knauer, she was a 1945 graduate of Mexico High School and a graduate of Rumford Community Hospital in the certified nurses aide program.
She married James E. Kelly on Dec. 26, 1947 and raised eight children. Mrs. Kelly was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend to many.
She was employed at Maine Medical Center and Deering Pavilion until her retirement in 1989 She was a member of St. Pius X Church, Mexico Mother’s Club, Commonwealth Drive Association and St. Timothy Daughters of Isabella.
She enjoyed cooking, sewing and visiting with family and friends. She especially loved animals and working in her gardens. To honor this, her family invites you to bring fresh cut flowers from your garden or a potted plant to add to the family bouquet.
She will be sadly missed by her husband of 56 years; her children, James M. Kelly of Wilmington, Mass., Kathleen Strange of Portland, Stephen Kelly and his wife, Linda of Gorham, Paul Kelly and his wife, Lynne of Portland, Maureen Smith and her husband, Ralph of Westbrook, Jane Conroy and her husband, Edward of Dover-Foxcroft, John Kelly of Presque Isle and Robert Kelly and Leigh of Portland; 11 grandchildren, Aaron, Anna, Sarah, Michael, Kelly, Joshua, Elizabeth, Ali, Christine, Kate and Kimberly; and four sisters, Myrtle Milledge, Pauline Dawson, Geraldine Burns and Janet Fush.
She was predeceased by her son-in-law, Glenn Strange and a sister, Frances Ronan.
The family wishes to thank the staff of the Barron Center and the Beacon Hospice for their care.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.