Frederick “Fred” Kelley, age 95, of Canton passed away October 8th at the German Center in West Roxbury. Born and raised in Brockton, he graduated from Brockton High School Class of 1944 having completed his senior year in January to report to the US Army in March. He served in the European Theatre during WW II as a member of the 8th Armored Division., “The Thundering Herd”. He participated in three campaigns-The Ardennes, The Rhineland and Central Europe and also the Battle of the Bulge. He finished his tour at Pilsen Czechoslovakia, received the Bronze Star and was honorably discharged in 1946. He went on to earn his Certificate in Electrical Construction from Wentworth Institute. Over the next 23 years, concurrent with his full time employment, Fred obtained a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering (BEE) from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and a Masters in Engineering Management from Northeastern University. He began his professional career as a Field Service Engineer and project coordinator for Westinghouse servicing electrical and electronic equipment. Later he worked as an Electrical Engineer for government defense systems at Grumman Aircraft, Raytheon, Sylvania, and GTE. He retired from GTE Government Systems after 27 years of service. After retiring in 1992, Fred enjoyed extensive travel throughout Europe and more exotic locations throughout the world. Specifically, returning to locations in northern Europe where he had fought during WW II. He also took a genealogy research trip to Ireland and trips to Egypt, Israel and Australia. He was an active member of the Brockton YMCA, until the age of 90 which attributed to his longevity and physically active lifestyle. Fred thoroughly enjoyed a lively political discussion and his family will truly miss his unique wit, dry sense of humor, wise counsel and common sense approach to life.
Beloved husband of the late Emilie (Baumach). Father of Brian Kelley of Canton and Susan Kelley of Waldorf, MD. The family will receive relatives and friends at the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home 455 Washington St. Canton Tuesday from 10:00 to 11:00 am. A funeral service will follow at the funeral home 11 am. Burial Canton Corner Cemetery.