Donald “Don” A. Kelly, Jr., 76, of Jamaica, NY passed away Friday, December 9, 2016 at 4:30 pm at Franklin Hospital in Long Island, NY following health complications. An angel came to lead our beloved Donald to rest eternally with our Lord.

Donald was born on December 3, 1940 in Port Arthur, Texas. He was one of three children born to the late

Donald and Helen (Hightower) Kelly, Sr. He is survived by his two siblings: Donna Mulgrave and Dwayne Kelly (Barbara).

In 1971, Donald married Effie (Herring) Kelly. He is survived by their two daughters: Denise Carroll (Jonathan) of Willingboro, NJ and Dawn Daniel (Ronnie) of Wynantskill, NY; and two children of the heart who he cared for with Effie, Gerald Williams and Eleanor Temple (Kelly) both of Jamaica, NY. He leaves a legacy of seven grandchildren: Sha Asia Mickens, Nichole Henderson-Roy, Joshua Carroll, Jasmine Carroll, Gregory Tuck, Timothy Daniel, Olivia Daniel and four great grandchildren: Isaiah Mickens, James Shade, Jr., Janiya Shade and Shamiya Shade, two nieces: Caroline Love (Duane) and Jada Kelly, a nephew: Carl Mulgrave and a great niece: Gemyse Taylor Respers (Michael)

Donald worked for SAS Airlines for twenty years and later worked at the Marriot Marquis Hotel for fifteen years. He retired on August 3, 2016 and had a reputation of being a hard worker. He was nominated ‘Employee of the Month’ several times throughout his life of employment.

Donald was sociable, well loved by many and never met a stranger. He was a stress-free person that could often be heard saying, “All you can do is your best!”, He did some boxing in his earlier years and was quite a fashionable guy all his years. He loved cooking and enjoyed fishing. He had a great admiration for nature and all its creatures. He’d spent time at the park feeding birds and literally had squirrels eating out of his hand, so no one should be surprised that he loved to watch the animal channel. He also enjoyed family time. Going on outings or simply spending time with his children and grandchildren brought him a lot of joy. In the coming years when his loved ones share stories in memory of him, they will recall his very generous, gentle and caring spirit that had no problem putting others needs before his own and that he was a loving grandfather who always displayed patience and kindness.

He will surely be missed

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