Madelyn "Max" Kelly

Max was born on February 17, 1961, in Lake Success, N.Y. As a student at Emory University in the early 1980s, she took a medical newswriting position at the fledgling CNN, which became the start of her journalism career, both there and at CBS. As a producer for 48 Hours, she received a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 1989 for coverage of Hurricane Hugo. Her proudest work as a producer included the first broadcast-news piece on cochlear implants and an exposé of hotel security policies that put solo female travelers at risk. She stepped back from full-time journalism after the birth of her children, returning to cover the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections as political director for Dan Rather Reports. Max additionally taught journalism as an adjunct professor at Emerson College; volunteered as a counselor for the Crisis Text Line; worked as an usher at the Kennedy Center; and served as a freelance editor (“book doctor”) for a number of aspiring authors, and as an unpaid (and sometimes unsolicited) copy editor for dozens of family and friends.

Max met Michael Kelly while covering the 1988 presidential campaign and married him in 1991. A print journalist and columnist who served as editor-in-chief of The New Republic and The Atlantic, Michael was killed while covering the Iraq War in April 2003. After Michael’s death, Max balanced single parenthood with a fierce commitment to maintaining her husband’s legacy and helping other bereaved families. She edited a posthumous collection of Michael’s writing, Things Worth Fighting For, in 2004, and co-authored A Parent's Guide to Raising Grieving Children with Dr. Phyllis Silverman in 2009. She further applied her professional skills to coordinating among and supporting others in her community, and running high school debate tournaments.

Max is survived by an adored and adoring family on both the Greenberg and Kelly sides, including her children, Tamzin and Jack; her parents, Anita and Irwin Greenberg; and her sister and brother-in-law, Cheryl Greenberg and Dan Lloyd. She is preceded in death by her husband Michael, her beloved golden retriever Ichabod and her childhood Labrador, coincidentally named Kelly.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, March 9th at 11 AM at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, 1668 Beacon St., Brookline. A burial at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge will follow. In lieu of flowers, her family welcomes donations in her name to the Crisis Text Line, where she was proud to have volunteered. www.crisistextline.org/donate