Michael Leonard Kelliher

Michael Leonard Kelliher of Allston, MA passed away unexpectedly on July 17th, 2024. Michael was the son of the late Leonard W. Kelliher and Nancy (Carll) Kelliher. Devoted father of Brian Kelliher and his partner Mary Danielewski of Somerville, Jessica Kelliher and her fiancé Christopher Russo of Quincy, and Melissa Kelliher and her partner Erik Person of Quincy. Loving brother of Susan Kelliher and her husband Dennis Normant of Waltham, Patricia Kelliher of Brighton, Kerry Cook and her husband Frederick of Needham, Elizabeth “DeeDee” Kelliher and her husband Nafiz Albayrak of Allston, and Amy Kelliher of Allston. Loving uncle of Elizabeth Dombrowski and her husband Ricard Masia, Charlie Cook, Sam Cook and his wife Alexandra Chaitin, and Jake Cook. Great uncle of Rafael and Eduard Masia.

Michael was born on April 16, 1962, in Allston, MA. As a proud lifelong resident of Allston, he was a well-known member of his community. Following in his dad Lenny’s footsteps, he was especially active as an advocate in the addiction recovery community. He was always there for support and ready to quote his beloved mentor. Michael had countless close friends and relatives who never hesitated to call him their best friend, and his sense of humor was legendary—another gift from Lenny.

Michael was a graduate of Boston College with a degree in English Literature. After working for many years at Verizon like his dad, he retired and continued to work in the building trades—a job he enjoyed as much for the people he worked with as for the work itself. He recounted many hilarious stories from his adventures on the jobsites.

He was an avid fan of all the local sports teams and was himself very athletic. He enjoyed biking, yoga, swimming, snorkeling, diving with his son Brian, and sitting courtside at his daughters Jessie and Melissa’s basketball games. However, nothing made him happier than any sport he engaged in with his kids, whether it was surfing, birding, or jumping off the Wiggly Bridge in York, Maine. Always a kid at heart who loved to laugh and play, his family meant the world to him.

Visiting hours will be at Lehman, Reen, & McNamara Funeral Home, 63 Chestnut Hill Avenue Brighton, MA on Wednesday, July 24th from 3 to 8 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held on July 25th at St. Anthony’s Church, 43 Holton Street, Allston, MA at 10 am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Michael may be made to Friends of Walden Pond.

“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
― Henry David Thoreau

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Michael Leonard Kelliher, please visit our Tree Store.