Obituary of Donald B. "Josh" Jelly

Donald B. “Josh” Jelly, 71, of Topsfield, MA, died unexpectedly Monday evening, May 28th, 2012 at his residence. He was the loving husband of Arline (Bohne) Jelly. He was born in Salem, MA on January 21, 1941, the son of the late Donald and Elizabeth (Ingraham) Jelly and was raised in Peabody. He later resided in Boxford before moving to Topsfield 24 years ago, Josh was an outstanding athlete at Peabody High School where he excelled in Hockey and in baseball graduating in 1958. He then went to Bowdoin College in Maine where he was a tri-captain of the Hockey Team and selected to the All American Hockey Squad. Following his college career, he became a member of the United States Marine Corps reserves. Josh had worked for the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Massachusetts division for forty years retiring as a manager. Josh loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing in the streams and rivers of the North Shore. He also loved to garden and go hunting in the woods. He had collected a large butterfly collection and also a stamp collection. He loved playing cards, especially cribbage and enjoyed playing with his dear friend, Nancy Begin. Josh was an avid American History buff and was a stimulating conversationalist who enjoyed chatting about many different aspects of life. He was the former husband of Sharon (Brackett) Jelly. He is survived by his wife, Arline, his four daughters, Susan Jelly of Yarmouth, ME, Stephanie Chadwick and her husband Rusty of Boxford, Amy Stark of Rowley and Hannah Jelly of Bradford, MA, a step-daughter, Jessica Mc Kinney and many cousins and friends. He was” Grampo” to his cherished nine grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Cynthia Lussier.. A visitation will be held on Thursday from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at his residence, 163 Washington St., Topsfield, MA at 11:00 AM. No ties please. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Habitat for Humanity, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709-3498 or to the Perkins School for the Blind, Perkins Trust office, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472 in his memory.