MYSTIC: Mrs. Jacintha C. Kelley, 70, of Mystic, passed away on Friday at Mariner Healthcare at Pendleton in Mystic, where she had been admitted May 22.
Founder and joint owner of Kelley’s Pace Running Goods Store, Mrs. Kelley was a prominent figure in the area’s sports community.
She was born in New Bedford, MA on November 19, 1932, the daughter of Antone and Mary (Carrera) Braga. She attended New Bedford public schools, graduating from New Bedford High School in 1950 and continuing her education at Boston University where she majored in music.
On January 17, 1953 she married John J. Kelley of New London, CT. The wedding took place in Seamen’s Bethel on New Bedford’s Johnnycake Hill.The couple then returned to Boston to complete their studies, moving to Groton, CT in August 1956 at the beginning of Mr. Kelley’s teaching career.
In July 1961 they moved once more from Groton to the Pequot Avenue, Mystic house which would become a “second home” for generations of Mrs. Kelley’s piano students and the many young athletes who gravitated into her orbit.
In 1980, with a partner, Janet Orenstein, Mrs. Kelley opened a small retail store under the name Kelley’s Pace, in Factory Square, Mystic. The enterprise’s steady growth necessitated two relocations, first to Pearl Street, and later, to its present setting in Olde Mistick Village.
She is survived by her husband; three daughters, Julia Portelance of Mystic; Kathleen Gabriel of Cranston, RI; Eileen Edwards of North Stonington; and eight grandchildren.
She gave without stint the gift of love.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church, East Main St., Mystic on Tuesday at 10:00am. Burial will be private. There are no visiting hours. A reception will follow the Mass at St. Patrick Center