Obituary of Marie Anne Kellam

Marie Anne Kellam, 82, passed away in Tampa Florida on September 2, 2024, leaving an irreplaceable void in her family's lives.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1941, to William and Kathryn Butler, Marie was the fifth of six children. 

She attended Bishop McDonnell Memorial Catholic High School, where she was a star softball player. Marie met her husband Albert J. Kellam when she was just 16 years old, after he crashed her house party in Brooklyn. In 1963 she graduated from St Joseph's College for Women in Brooklyn, New York. After graduation she began teaching math at Bay Ridge High School. Marie and Bert married in 1964, and soon after welcomed their only son, John Albert. They spent a wonderful 56 years together and were devoted to raising their son John and later to doting on their three grandchildren. 

In 1966, Marie accepted a position in New Jersey with AT&T where she quickly excelled.  

Throughout her 26 year career with AT&T, Nynex and eventually Verizon, Marie garnered multiple awards for her outstanding service and contributions. While working full-time, she complete her Master's Degree from Pace University in New York and completed a Computer Science program at IBM. After her long and successful career with AT&T, Marie and her husband Bert relocated to Dallas, Texas, where Marie served as an Executive at Dallas Methodist Hospital for five years.

Marie enjoyed playing golf especially with her son and grandchildren. She loved fishing and stock market trading and always had an interest in politics. She loved horses, cold white wine, the beach and travel, finding her way to Europe, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, the Caribbean and Alaska over the years. Her love of warm weather, eventually lead her and Bert to retire in Melbourne Beach, Florida in 2001, where they enjoyed many years together. Her beloved husband, Albert J.Kellam passed away in 2013. 

After Bert's passing, Marie remained in Florida. Several years later, Marie found a second chance at love, with George "Joe" Shetka. They shared a peaceful life together in Seabring, Florida, where Joe remains today, and enjoyed many summers in Wyoming.

Marie will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Always willing to help her family, friends and community in any way possible. During her years in Florida, Marie devoted countless hours as a dedicated volunteer helping her local church and served as President for two community associations, where she successfully cut the budget and saved all her neighbors and homeowners thousands of dollars. 

Marie was an extremely kind and selfless person, always putting the needs of others before her own. She took a special joy in being a devoted mother and grandmother. She sacrificed so much for her family and was the type of mother who, upon learning at 10:30pm that her young son needed a costume for school the next day, stayed up all night to handcraft one! 

Marie had a very endearing ability to be able to laugh at herself. She taught us all the importance of not taking life or ourselves too seriously. Grandma Marie, as she is affectionately known, had the most  wonderful laugh that we will always miss, but will never be forgotten.  

She is survived  by her only son John Albert Kellam (59) of Basking Ridge, NJ and his wife Mia Tanya (Stula) and her beloved  grandchildren; Natalia Kellam Sahler and her husband Brandon, Paul Albert Kellam and Claudia Marie Kellam. She also leaves behind her older brother, Robert Butler and his wife Nancy, and younger sister, Patricia Butler-Kenzig and her husband Edward Kenzig.

Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 11am at St. James Roman Catholic Church, 184 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Tunnel to Towers Foundation would be greatly appreciated:@tunnel2towers.org