John "Jack" J. Kelleher, Sr.

John “Jack” Kelleher, Sr., 87, of Worcester, passed away Tuesday, November 1^st, 2022, in Hospice Care at Notre Dame Health Center, following a courageous battle with metastatic cancer.

He is survived by his children: Donna Kelleher, John Kelleher, Jr. and wife Kathleen; James Kelleher; Robert Kelleher and wife Pamela; and his stepchildren: Kenneth Larson and wife Lisa; Christopher Larson and wife Kate. Jack also leaves 5 grandchildren: Ryan, Victoria, Ashley, Samantha, Sean, and 7 Step-Grandchildren: Kaileigh, Colleen, Joe, Allie, Erika, Sam and Jake, and one great-grandchild: Liliana.

Jack was pre-deceased by his wife of 34 years Maria “Sue” (McGrail) Kelleher, his stepdaughter Kimberly (Larson) Carroll, and stepson James Larson. He was also pre-deceased by his brothers George and Cornelius Kelleher, and his sisters, Edith Kelleher and Doris (Kelleher) Mahoney.

Jack was born in Worcester and was the son of Cornelius and Edith (Gustafson) Kelleher. He graduated from Worcester Trade School and went on to study at Worcester State College. Jack was a Korean war veteran and proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Laffey DD-724 and the U.S.S. Corry DD-817. He was employed by the Worcester Police Department, where he worked in the detective unit and on the motorcycle force until he retired in 1980.

Jack enjoyed listening to Irish music and was an avid fan of the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics. Jack was a master tinkerer, thinking that he could fix anything – as long as he had an elastic, paper clip and duct tape available. He also loved to work on puzzles and would proudly display his finished products in frames about the house.

The family would like to thank the staff of Notre Dame Health Care for their compassionate care and extensive efforts to make Jack comfortable in his final hours.

A visiting hour will be held on Monday, November 7^th  from 9 am to 11 am, with a Memorial Service at 11 a.m., all taking place at Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, Plantation Street, Worcester, MA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Notre Dame Health Care, 555 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605

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