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Richard J. Kelly, Jr. started his Fire Department career at Engine 10 in lower
Manhattan in 1977. A little more than a year later, Richie was transferred to
Ladder 11in the East Village where he spent the next 23 years, at the time of
his death, Richie was the senior member of Ladder 11. Receiving his 20 year ring
from the officers and members of Engine 28 & Ladder 11 was one of the proudest
moments of his life.
Music was his passion, Richie had a large collection of over 400 CD’s, that included all types of music. His favorite groups were Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, with over 50 CD’s of just these 2 groups. He was a nationally acclaimed boom bah player and instructor, a hand made one-man band type instrument. Richie enjoyed accompanying bands and jukeboxes wherever he was, whether a wedding, a fire department dance, or just a local bar. He just enjoyed having fun and bringing smiles to everyone around him. He also enjoyed fresh water fishing, spending many hours on the lake, with his son and nephews at his vacation home in Pennsylvania. After having just completed working on his home in Pennsylvania, Richie had just begun talking about retiring there. He loved the smell of the country air, watching the birds in the day and gazing at the stars in the night sky. His wife Carolyn reflected on his special talent of balancing his fun, carefree
spirit with his gentleness and kindness. He enjoyed marching up Fifth Avenue
or Forest Avenue during a St. Patrick’s parade sporting his fake Billy
Bob teeth, making the people on the sidelines laugh. He always made everyone
feel comfortable and loved. Whether you were a Commissioner, the President,
a loved one, or a homeless person on the street, it didn’t matter to
Richie, he would treat you with the same kindness and dignity. His wife said
that Richie would always say that we could have fun in a paper bag. |