Obituary of Edna J. Leahy

LEAHY, Edna J (nee Kelly), 93, of Manhasset, NY.  On December 11, 2019 the angels came and took her home.  Edna, a devout Catholic, passed on at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY from natural causes. She was born in 1926 in New York City to Joseph J. and Mary Love Kelly (one of the original AT&T supervisors, and a Life Member Pioneers AT&T).   

She was a member of the Greatest Generation, raised during the Great Depression and WWII. They learned to rise and overcome challenges, and embrace and appreciate the best things in life – family and friends.  After graduating High School, she worked at Cheney Brothers, a design and manufacturer of silks located in the Empire State Building, and the Chicago Daily Tribune located in Rockefeller Center until her marriage in 1950 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, NY to Dr. Donald J. Leahy (a WWII Navy veteran, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Flushing Hospital and Medical Center, former president of the Queens Gynecological Society, and a governor of the State University of New York campus at Stony Brook, L.I.).   

She lived a long, good life supporting others throughout her journey.  She approached life cheerfully, and eloquently transformed the simplest ideas into the best things in life. She possessed the unique ability to rise above all challenges, moving forward with beauty and grace.  

Edna was predeceased by her brothers John and Joseph Kelly, her sisters Kathryn (Kitty) Kelly Conway and Florence Kelly Brady, and her former husband Dr. Donald J. Leahy. She is survived by her children, Donald Jr of Manhasset, NY, Gregory L of Jupiter, FL, Kelly E of Fairfield, CT, and Paul L (Lena) of Garden City, NY; her sisters-in-law Helen Hanrahan Kelly and Ann Comerford Kelly; grandson Charles of Fairfield, CT, and 21 nieces and nephews. 

Calling hours are 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, December 13th, at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home, 1570 Northern Boulevard, Manhasset, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial is at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 14 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 1300 Northern Boulevard, Manhasset, NY, followed by internment at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, NY. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Edna J. Leahy’s name to St. Francis Hospital or to a charity of your choice. 

Special thanks to the hospital staff at St. Francis Hospital, who took such loving and special care of this wonderful woman as she moved forward in her journey onward.