Mary Lynn Kelly

Mary Lynn Kelly, 88, passed on Sunday, May 26, 2024, and she was welcomed into heaven by her Father, Leonard Kelly and infant sister, Marjorie for the first time, and celebrated along with her Mother, Margaret and siblings, Tom and Don Kelly and Janet Ray Dodsworth. She is dearly missed by her five children, Jon (Melanie) Greeley, Lizabeth Cuenya, Laurie (Mark) Diefenthaler, Kelly Greeley (Neville Patkus) and Susan Bartholf, 13 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and her beloved dog, Mickie.

She was born on March 1, 1936, to a recently widowed mother of four, Margaret Sullivan Kelly, who showed us all the real meaning of what true grit and perseverance looks like. And in true fashion, to say Mary Lynn “broke the glass ceiling” is an understatement. She would go on as a trailblazer for the Marine Bank, as she suggested they step into a leadership role helping Springfield women, before they were required by the Federal Government, by educating women about credit, money management and estate and retirement planning.

United Way, Springfield Area Arts Council, Catholic Charities, Sangamon County Red Cross, Springfield Historical Sites Commission and St. John’s Breadline are just a few of the organizations Mary Lynn spent countless hours helping for the betterment of the community. Enriched by her education from St. Agnes Grade School, Sacred Heart Academy, Springfield College in Illinois, Lincoln Land Community College and University of Illinois, she landed the best career ever! As a Certified Meeting Professional for the bank, Mary regularly organized and hosted customer conferences at places that only some could dream of: The Broadmoore, the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, Alcatraz, The U.S.S. Springfield, Colonial Williamsburg, and many more. If it was an epic conference, you can be sure Mary Lynn was behind it. The Student of the Year program was one of her favorite accomplishments, and it continues to this day. She retired as Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Relations at Marine Bank / Bank One, Illinois.

Mary Lynn’s happy place was at the beaches in Naples, Florida, or at Island Bay Yacht Club, where she maintained an Admiral Membership. She also spent many years wintering in Goodland, Florida, spending time with family and friends boating and watching sunsets. She had a big heart and enjoyed teaching handicapped children to swim, was a Girl Scout leader, taught 4th grade Religion classes at Christ the King School, and taught adult swim classes as a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. As a single Mother, Mary Lynn taught all her children to swim as infants. At Christmas time, if you were lucky enough to be on the receiving end, you enjoyed her famous “award winning” peanut brittle as a welcomed gift.

An Irish Wake will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at Butler Funeral Home – Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield, beginning with a prayer service. If so inclined, wear a wee bit of green to honor her 100% Irish heritage.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 am on Friday, June 21, 2024, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1725 S. Walnut St., Springfield, with Rev. Jeff Grant, celebrant. Friends and family unable to attend in person may view the Mass via live-stream at https://bsps.org/live-streaming

Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial Contributions may be made to St. John’s Breadline at https://cc.dio.org/programs/st-johns-breadline, AVOW Hospice in Naples, FL at https://avowcares.org, or Sojourn Shelter & Service at https://www.sojournhousewomen.org/donate.