Michael Kelly

 

Michael Kelly made the best Irish Soda Bread ever. Ever.  Knowing that I loved Irish soda bread, people were constantly suggesting places to buy it. And since we no longer live in a geographically preferred location, I went store to store trying every one I could find. But never did I taste any one which could compare.  Michael was one of a kind.

He loved being in the kitchen, and beyond bread, was a fabulous chef.  He never let anyone venture into this sacred space.  It was a challenge for me to get him to trust me and permit entry.  Eventually he did, but it was about my challah recipe rather than my ability to cook as well as he did.  He just made me laugh, about anything.

This morning we received this note from Halle, a mutual friend:

We lost Michael Kelly this morning.  He developed an infection on Thursday and it proved to be too much for his body to handle.  Ultimately, he died of liver cancer and the complications of a life well lived.

A life well lived.  That’s how everyone breathing would like to be described.  And we were so lucky to be a part of that for Michael.  When you were with him you learned immediately that he was smart, and funny, and understood how to live.  He split his time between Washington and a Beach house in Delaware. Whenever he went he was in charge – even with me, and that’s not easy.  It didn’t matter how silly the request, he was generous with this time, his advice and his laughter. 

Michael and his partner Jim, (who I met first), were two of the finest human beings we ever encountered – and we have encountered a lot of beings, human is always a question.  They made you feel comfortable and welcome in their lives, and in their world.  Losing Michael is not going to be easy Jim, or for any of us,  We feel an absence of him already. Even though he was undergoing treatments which left him weak and tired, no one expected him to lose his battle – not so soon and not so quickly.

Our thoughts and love are with Jim.  Michael will always be a part of our lives, never just a memory.  We’re just sayin’… Iris