Lawrence Kevin Kelly

Lawrence Kevin Kelly, 83, died Sunday, July 16th, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. Kevin is survived by his four children: Jane Kelly, Susan Kelly Menendez, Lauren Kelly Lacanfora, Tim Kelly and eight grandchildren: Daniel Menendez, Kelly Menendez, Cassie Menendez, Chloe Lacanfora, Rocco Lacanfora, Luke Kelly, Matteo Lacanfora and Bruce Kelly.

Born in Washington D.C. on May 3rd, 1940, Kevin and his older brother John were the American sons of Irish immigrants. Raised in the city, he played and developed a passion for sports, particularly football and baseball, which lasted a lifetime. His first job was as a peanut vendor at Griffith Stadium during Washington Senators games, after which he would hitchhike home with the departing players. Kevin also developed a city-wide reputation as a hard-nosed offensive lineman for the Archbishop Carroll High School football team. It was this passion for sports that led him on the path to George Washington University and his true love, his wife, Nan Webster. Kevin and Nan married on October 9th, 1965 and started their family.

Soon after graduation from GW, Kevin found his professional calling: teaching and coaching. Over the next three decades he led students, football teams, wrestlers, and won two state baseball championships at high schools in the Montgomery County (MD) Public School System.

Kevin was raised and remained a lifelong, devout Roman Catholic. He valued the consistency and routine of a Catholic mass. Nevertheless, he challenged and educated himself through constant study and reflection upon writings from all faiths and creeds.

A tireless worker, retirement from teaching was simply the next phase of his career. His second professional life as a substance abuse counselor combined his spirituality and skills as an educator. His affable demeanor belied the tough-love blunt talk of an Irishman so many of his clients valued. Working in treatment centers in Baltimore, upstate New York and Athens, his second career proved to impact and help as many lives as the first.

Kevin was a kind soul. Always quick with a smile and a “Hey, Coach!”, he definitely was not going to remember your name but you always left an encounter with him a bit happier. Famous for botching place names, he would casually suggest “getting dinner at Burger Chef and then a movie from Buster’s Choice” (translated: “Let’s go to McDonald’s and rent a video at Blockbuster”). His baseball players would marvel at his ability to stand, face centimeters behind a batting screen, and not move or flinch as foul balls ricocheted off. He could dispense an offhand life lesson that would stick with you for decades: “Always wear a hat when you’re jogging, that way you never look at the hill coming up, only the next step in front of you”.

His life was not without failure or challenge, but he tried, to the end, to not succumb but to use those experiences to grow and help others. Every mistake he made, or was victim of, he used to make another life better.

Kevin loved his wife, his children and eight grandchildren with an intensity and depth that even he had trouble articulating into words. His family, his work and his ability to make every day a bit merrier for all those that met him will be his legacy.

A memorial service will be held on September 30 at 11:00 a.m., at Saint Michael Catholic Church, 1125 St. Michael’s Road, Mt. Airy, Maryland. Donations can be made to Athens (GA) Little League and Catholic Charities of Baltimore (links below):

https://athens-little-league.square.site/product/in-memory-of-kevin-kelly/38

https://www.cc-md.org.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.