Obituary of Norine Kelly

Norine E. Kelly, 71, of Howell Township NJ died Tuesday, April 12th at Riverview Medical Center with her loving family at her side. She lived a full life and leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of achievements and accomplishments in both her personal and professional life. Norine was born in Brooklyn, NY to the late John and Helen McCauley before moving to Howell over 44 years ago. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, a veteran, Edwin J. "Ed" Kelly. Together Norine and Ed built a wonderful and loving family. The mother of 7, Norine was predeceased by a son, Brian, and is survived by her loving children and their spouses; John and Roseann Kelly of New Egypt, Timothy and Martha Kelly and William and Penny Kelly, of Pt. Pleasant, Kathleen and Glenn Gillis and Colleen and Mark Rayner of Howell, and Christopher and Tina Kelly of Erie, CO. She is also survived by three sisters, Clair O'Neil and Patricia Flynn of FL, and Kathleen Griffin of CA, and by 13 grandchildren. Norine dedicated her life to her family and was its leader and matriarch. In devotion to her children, she became active in all of their functions, interests and ambitions. Her family was her motivation and creating a strong family network was at the root of everything Norine did. There was no better mother and no better spouse. Her legacy lives on through the lives of her children, grandchildren and the countless friends she touched over the course of her life. A natural leader, Norine became involved in her children's school in Howell and was a charter member of the Southard Elementary School PTA. She was chosen to be their first President. Always dedicated to helping others and with a deep devotion to service, Norine would go on to serve on the Howell Township Board of Education where she advocated for the children and for fiscal consciousness. She continued to get more involved with the Howell Township community. Norine served as an active participant with the Ladies Auxiliary of American Legion Post 498 and also as a member of the Freewood Acres Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary as well. She often advocated for unique causes and championed the rights of woman to be recognized as leaders in public service. One her noteworthy accomplishments was breaking down the barriers that existed that prohibited woman from service as "special officers" within the Howell police department. While her charitable efforts were significant with community organizations, Norine also became a County wide respected leader within the Republican Organization. Over the span of nearly 40 years, she was an architect and chief strategist for several successful campaigns in and outside of Howell Township. She helped build the Republican party in Howell Township and had an amazing streak in winning elections. Norine became Chairwoman of the Howell Township Republican organization and went on to become the Vice Chair of the County Republican Organization. Through her unmatched work ethic, tenacity and personality, she helped influence and shape policy at the Township level for decades. In a political world dominated by men, Norine was the undisputed leader. Norine served on the Township's Economic Development Committee and was an elected County Committeewoman for her district. More recently, Norine was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Monmouth County Board of Elections to manage and oversee all elections in Monmouth County. As a woman and as a mother, Norine was a role model to many and shall be remembered for her compassion and integrity. She will be remembered and celebrated as someone who helped make her community a better place for generations to come. Visiting at Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton Adelphia Road, (Route 524) Freehold Township on Friday, April 15, 2011 from 3:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her 9:30 AM funeral service on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at St. Veronica's Catholic Church, 4215 Route 9 North, Howell with Rev. Frank Kelly officiating. Interment will be private. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.