Attorney Nancy A. Kelly

PEABODY – Attorney Nancy Ann Kelly, 78 of Peabody, and the devoted wife of the late George B. McCarthy, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 1, 2026, at Lahey Hospital in Burlington after a lengthy illness.

Nancy was born in Brooklyn, New York to the late John F. and Marguerite (Clarke) Kelly. The Kelly family eventually settled in New Hampshire, where Nancy attended the Rye public schools and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover.

At Emmanuel College in Boston, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Sociology. While teaching first grade at the Shurtleff School in Chelsea she completed a Master’s in Education at Boston University and eventually a Juris Doctorate through the evening program at Suffolk University.

After marrying, Nancy spent the remainder of her working career as a partner in her and George’s company, T.E.S.T. Corp., a supplier of airplane parts to the U.S Navy.

Law was not only a vocational choice for Nancy, but a deepfelt passion. She devotedly kept up with current case law and various legal notifications, and supported organizations involved with social justice.

Above all, Nancy always went out of her way to help those in need – her young students, friends, and family. She kept the core values of ethics, honesty, kindness and generosity as her through line. Her legacy will live on in the lives she touched. She will be missed.

Nancy is survived by her sister, Joan Kelly, and Joan’s husband, Michael DeRocco of Watertown, Mass. She was predeceased by her parents, her beloved husband, and her dear brother, Richard John Kelly.

ARRANGEMENTS: Services have been held privately. Those who wish to donate in memory of Nancy are invited to support the Marguerite Kelly Scholarship Foundation via the Rye Education Foundation, PO Box 838, Rye, NH 03870. Assisting the family with the arrangements is O’Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 167 Maple St., (Rte. 62) DANVERS. www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.