William Joseph Kellaher, Jr.

On Tuesday, February 15, 2011, the eldest of nine brothers and sisters born to William and Alice Kellaher. His wonderful sense of humor came from his strong Irish heritage, his mother, an Irish immigrant and his father, whose parents were also Irish immigrants. His father moved the family (3 brothers and Bill) to Arlington VA, before settling in Greenbelt MD in 1938. The family continued to grow with the addition of 5 more children, Brian, Alice, Eileen, Marie. Bill, Gene, Frank and Steve were all active in the youth programs. In addition to basketball, baseball and swimming, the town offered special event type activities. A youth golden gloves championship' was held. Bill came in 2d, his brother Gene won. At least once following the bout, the two unofficially sparred with each other to determine the real' winner. But of course, sibling rivalry was always alive and well with the four brothers who were so close in age (averaging 14 months apart). The Drop Inn, a chaperoned, popular teen hangout, was located down the hill behind the COOP grocery store. On weekend nights, the place was crowded with teens. Ping pong, and dancing was just a few of the activities available to them. Bill loved to dance and excelled at it so he always entered the contests. Gene and Frank who were also good would join in an effort to beat the frequent winner. Their many friends, also good dancers would round out the mix. The fancy footwork in the swing dancing sometimes ended up with dancers going out of time, tripping, bumping and so on. Among the 3 brothers, each worked hard to disqualify another brother - all good naturedly. Sometimes they enjoyed the bantering more than winning! The boys were all lifeguards, as well as altar servers. Although Bill was a teenager when his sisters and youngest brother was growing up, he managed to spend time with them teaching bike rides, catching balls, and fishing with Pat, and taking them to the store for ice cream. After Bill graduated from Gonzaga High School, he joined the Navy and was stationed on the light cruiser Worchester. He intended to make the Navy his career, but left the family when his father had a third heart to help with the family. In 1959, he married his first wife, Kathleen, a lovely, vivacious, fun loving woman who shared Bill's passion for dancing. Bill, Kathleen and her two daughters, Lori Jean and Cathy Sue moved to Greenbelt. A son Will, born a year later, completed the family. The family lived in Greenbelt for several years before relocating to another town. Kathleen was diagnosed with MS, a progressive disease which eventually robbed her of life. After Kathleen's death, Bill resumed his education and graduated from the University of Maryland Law School. He went to work for the Paralyzed Veterans of American, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting veterans with obtaining benefits. Bill enjoyed his work and was a strong, effective advocate for veterans. He was the lead attorney for the Paralyzed Veterans for the Agent Orange lawsuit, which the veterans eventually won with the help of this organization as well as similar ones. Bill was extremely successful in winning benefits for the veterans, a record which he took great pride. During this time, Bill married his second wife Elaine. She too, was a lovely person, who accompanied Bill on long weekends to the mountain resorts, which they both enjoyed. Unfortunately the happiness was cut short as Elaine developed cancer, and after a 3 year illness, passed away. Now ill himself, Bill moved to Greenbelt for the 3d and final time. Within a few short years, the creeping dementia rendered him unable to take care of himself. His family moved him to an Assisted Living Facility where he adapted well to the environment. He made friends with staff and residents. B ut all the time his memory was stealing away. After 3 brief stays in the hospital, Bill passed away on 15 February 2011. Bill is survived by a son Will, grandson Dillon, 2 stepdaughters, Lori Jean and Cathy Sue, 2 brothers, Steve and Pat, and 3 sisters, Alice, Eileen and Pat. Twenty four nephews and nieces complete the survivors.