Berlin – Jean M Kelley-Joyce, 68, of Berlin, MA, passed away December 13th, 2022, peacefully at home surrounded by loving family and friends. Jean was the beloved mother of her surviving son, Robert J. Joyce, 30, of Berlin.
Born in Brockton MA on May 3rd, 1954, Jean was the daughter of the late Robert C. Kelley and late Margaret M. Yuskaitis Kelley. She was raised and attended school in Westborough Ma, graduating high school in 1972. Jean spent her summers growing up at the family house in West Yarmouth, living there full time while continuing her education at Cape Cod Community College. She had a successful and impactful career in business administration.
Jean attended countless Red Sox games and enjoyed Fenway franks with her family and friends.
She loved watching the 4th of July fireworks with her sisters on Lewis Bay while singing along to the radio. Later in life, she took on a new hobby of fishing with friends where she was never afraid to bait her own hook and pose with her catches. She loved and excelled at photography, winning local awards for her pictures. Jean had a love for the stars and constellations, her broad knowledge of which she shared with Rob, sparking his own fascination. She loved gardening and took pride in the fairy lights that lit up her flowers at night.
Jean was a doting mother to Rob and incredibly supportive, sharing her love of the cape and music with him since his birth. Her music collection along with endless car rides singing at the top of their lungs and teaching Rob to harmonize to Beatles songs is what led to his life long love of and career in music. She always had food on the table, whether it be her chop suey or the famous chicken pillows she always made extras of. She loved the outdoor shower at the cape house, riding in the boat, and later in life teaching Rob to dig for clams and Grandpa Bob and Peg’s art of “chairing”.
Jean loved animals and had a special spot in her heart for the late Smokie bear, and her new cat, Blue, that she taught to trust people after rescuing him from an animal shelter. She was also an Auntie Jeanie to her spoiled grand dog Murphy, becoming one of his favorite people on earth.
Jean is survived by her sister and brother-in law Patricia Kelley and Anthony Warren and her niece Dr. Lydia Warren; her sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Ronald Kwiatkowski, her niece Kate Kwiatkowski, and her nephew Ronnie Kwiatkowski; several cousins and an uncle; and her chosen sisters Linda Halpin, Cheryl Price, and “best buddy-true pal” Christine Quinby.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, December 22, at 10:30 A.M. in St. Luke the Evangelist Church, 70 West Main St., Westborough. Burial in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Centerville, will be private.
Calling hours at the Pickering & Son Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main St., Westborough, are Wednesday, December 21, from 4 to 7 P.M.
