Eugene Kelley

On August 15, 2026, Eugene “Gene” Kelley, husband of 61 years to Irene “Rene” Emmet Kelley; father of Alice (Bob) Scanlon, Mary (Mike) Nagle, Kathy Kelley; Pop Pop to Erin, Rob (Catie), Emmet Scanlon, Matt (Claudia), Addy and Tom Nagle, Owen Johnson and Great Pop Pop to Audrey Nagle, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. Predeceased by his parents, John and Kathryn Kelley, his sister, Kay Keating (Jim) and brother Jack (Sue) Kelley.

He attended Our Lady of Lourdes, as did his three daughters (Kathy even teaching there) where he went from holding the May Queen train to being the PTA President. He made lifelong friends there. While his Dad was in the Navy, St. John’s confirmed his interest in the military, and he joined the ROTC at the University of Maryland. He also joined Phi Sigma Kappa where he met more lifelong friends and gathered many humorous stories.

He continued to proudly serve in the US Navy rising to the rank of Commander. Active duty was on the USS Pawcatuck and USS William M. Wood. He collected a lifetime of sea stories that he regaled to anyone who wanted to listen (and even those who didn’t) as a true Irishman.

With Fred Thomas he started Thomas & Kelley Realtors as the youngest broker in the metropolitan area. It later became Kelley Company Realtors. During his real estate career, he famously coined the phrase “Caulk the hell out of it!” and relied on it for 55 years as he never hired anyone to do electrical, plumbing or other major repairs or installations.

Gene met Rene when they were on a blind double date - she was with Gene’s brother, Jack. At the end of that date, she declared that Gene talked too much but later realized that wasn’t so bad!

They bought the Brandy Hollow Farm in Middletown, MD in 1965 as an investment property with his sister, Kay, and business partner. He was often heard saying that “The difficult we do with ease, the impossible just takes a little longer” when incorporating or fixing his “Trash and Treasure” finds. In 1986 they “bought the Farm” and began vacationing there, which he would have done exclusively, if not for giving in to go on houseboat, RV, ski and beach trips. He joined Amvets Post #9 providing more sources for lifelong friends and hilarious stories to tell.

He loved being Pop Pop to his seven grandkids, supporting them in their sports, plays and other activities, especially enjoying family trips to the West Coast, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and a cruise to Alaska - - all while declaring the Farm to be the most beautiful. He will be deeply missed by all.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Friday, August 28, 2026, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bethesda, MD with visitation at 9:30 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation of the National Capital Area, 3570 Olney-Laytonsville Rd. #490, Olney, MD 20830 or enjoy a beautiful day in the country with family and friends as he would have done.