Obituary of George J. Kelly

George John Kelly, a longtime resident of Harding Township, NJ died peacefully at home with his family by his side on Friday, September 8, 2023. He was 80.

George was the eldest son of Mary Byrne Kelly and George E. Kelly.  He grew up in Paterson and then Wanaque, NJ with his brother Gerald Kelly and sister Patricia Kelly Stanzione. George attended St. Joseph’s Seminary in Callicoon, NY and went on to earn a degree in Industrial Engineering from Newark College of Engineering, now New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). While studying and working several part-time jobs George met the love of his life Barbara and they soon went on to marry and start a family.

George worked as a Systems Engineer for IBM in Newark, NJ and White Plains, NY for 15 years before being lured to Wall Street where he quickly found his passion in institutional research and then investment banking in the telecommunications equipment arena. First at AG Becker then at Morgan Stanley for 23 years, George was well known for his many technology IPO’s including Lucent, Broadcom, Akamai, Aspect, Sycamore, and most notably Cisco Systems where he was dubbed by many on Wall Street as the “Cisco Kid”.

As a proud and doting grandfather, George attended many of his grandchildren’s plays and games over the years cheering loudly in the audience and on the sidelines. And he thoroughly enjoyed spending summers with family on Long Beach Island. George was actively involved with NJIT where he was a member of the Alumni and Business School boards. He also belonged to several ham radio and genealogy clubs where he engaged his lifelong curiosity for learning and lending a helping hand.  

George is survived by Barbara, his loving wife of 57 years, daughters Eileen (Scott) Lowry and Elaine Hromin, brother Gerald (Annette) Kelly, grandchildren Emily and Grace Hromin and Ryan and Kate Lowry, sister-in-law Valerie Bursky, brother-in-law Michael Stanzione, nieces Lauren Kelly Jackson, Kristen Kelly and nephew Michael Stanzione.  George is pre-deceased by his parents Mary and George Kelly, his sister Patricia Stanzione and nephew Joseph Stanzione.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend a visitation for George to be held on Monday, September 11, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main Street, Madison.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Christ the King, 16 Blue Mill Road, New Vernon, NJ 07976.

Burial will be held privately for the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the George Kelly '67 STEM Scholarship fund at NJIT by clicking on the link or by mailing a check to:

NJIT Office of Development & Alumni Relations
University Heights                                                                                    
Eberhardt Hall 224                                            
323 Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard            
Newark, NJ 07102      
Attention:  Kenneth Alexo for GJK ’67