Detective Paul E. Kelley Obituary (1949 - 2015)

Detective Paul Kelley Portland- Det. Paul E. Kelley, surrounded by his friends and family, passed away at his home in Portland on May 12, 2015 after a brief illness. Paul was born in Portland, Maine on September 18, 1949 to John F. Kelley and Catherine Rose Kelley. He attended St. Dominics grammar school and graduated from Portland High School. After high school, Paul served in the Army National Guard. He married Mary A. Quinn on August 21, 1971 and they have two daughters. In 1971, he joined the Portland Police Department, where he proudly served the City of Portland for twenty-seven years. During his time with the Police Department, he held various roles within the Department; his duties ran the gamut from serving on foot patrol to investigating crimes in the Criminal Investigations Division. Paul fondly remembered one week early in his career with the Police Department when he was assigned to work one day as a dispatcher, the next day as a jailer, the third day as an ambulance driver, and the remainder of the week as an evidence technician. A jack of all trades, Paul was temporarily assigned to the CID to work on the bomb squad during a tumultuous time in Portland; during that period, he had numerous encounters with explosives created by various terror organizations. Soon Pauls assignment to CID became permanent and he investigated crimes ranging from residential burglaries, to stolen cars, to arsons. During his tenure at CID, he was actively involved in most suspected homicide investigations, ultimately investigating over eighty-three suspected homicides. Paul was very proud of his work training other police officers both internally at the Portland Police Department and at the Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro, Maine. Paul often reflected fondly on his time with the PD and spoke of how proud he was to have worked with such dedicated professionals through the investigation and prosecution of crimes in the City of Portland. He developed many deep friendships in his extensive law enforcement community that lasted through his life up to his final hours this week. Paul wished to remember his lifelong friends Michael Wallace, who passed away twenty years ago this month, Meg Elam, Charlene Quilty, and each of his partners in the Detective Division, as well as countless others who sustained him and inspired him. Paul retired from the Portland Police Department in 1998 and joined the University of Maine Police Force before leaving law enforcement entirely in 2000. Paul worked until September of 2014 at his retirement job. Pauls true passion and joy in life was coaching girls softball and he was never quite as happy as when he donned his Little League Nine hat and headed to the field. Paul fell short on his ultimate goal of leading one of his all-star teams to the National Girls Softball Tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His teams did, however, reach great heights and accumulated too many titles to count. Paul and many other dedicated friends, including John Bay, Tony Bellino and the late Steve Newcomb, coached teams to Eastern Regional Titles, two New England Regional Titles, two runner-up New England Regional championships, and four Maine State Titles. Paul loved the girls he coached in softball and was pleased to follow them into adulthood, where he was blessed to keep in touch with many of the special players that touched his life and his heart. Pauls teams, the girls he coached, and the coaches he shared the dugout with were the treasure of his life. Paul is survived by his wife of forty-three years, Mary, and their two daughters, Debbie Kelley of Portland and Patricia Kelley Poulin of Manchester, his son-in-law Michael R. Poulin, his grandson, Matthew Paul Poulin, and step-grandchildren, Michael J. and Molly E. Poulin. Paul is preceded in death by his brother Jack Kelley and survived by his brothers Richard Kelley of Dover, New Hampshire his wife Kathy, and Sam Kelley of Scarborough and his wife Jeanne. Paul and Mary were blessed with fifteen nieces and nephews in the Kelley and Quinn families. Family was the first priority for Paul and his wife; he loved spending time with all the Kelley/Quinn cousins and their wonderful spouses and he looked forward to each new baby joining the extended family. Pauls daughters join him in expressing gratitude to Dr. Richard Marino, M.D. for his expertise and guidance during Pauls final journey. Paul was also deeply grateful for the care and support Stacy Giroux provided to him and his wife over the past several years; she was their angel of mercy. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2015 from 2:00 to 5:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, ME . Prayers will be recited at the funeral home on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 10:15am followed by an 11:00am Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church, Corner of Mellen and Sherman Street, Portland. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Broadway, South Portland. Online condolences may be expressed at www.ctcrawford.com Those who wish may make contributions to: Alzheimers Association, Maine Chapter, 383 US Route One Suite 2C, Scarborough, ME 04074