Edithe Rappel Kelly dies at 86

Edithe Rappel Kelly, widow of Martin James Kelly and a longtime Riverdale resident, died on Nov. 23, after a brief illness. She was 86.

Born in New York City on Feb. 3, 1926, Ms. Kelly was a resident of the Bronx for much of her life. She grew up on Arthur Avenue and attended Walton High School, and lived in Riverdale for more than 40 years.

Ms. Kelly was a legal secretary to Paul Newlon, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, for many years. She retired in 1993. She and her husband Martin were active members of the Riverdale Democratic Club from the 1970s through the 1980s. In recent years, she served as a poll supervisor for the New York City Board of Elections. Her husband Martin died in 1997. 

She loved to travel and took every opportunity to visit family and friends across the United States and in Europe, her family recalled. Her sense of style and her flair for life were loved and admired by all who knew her. She was a devoted friend and neighbor, and a dedicated and loving parent, her family said.

Ms. Kelly was predeceased by her husband Martin J. Kelly; her brothers Arthur and Robert Rappel; and her niece Patricia Horgan. 

She is survived by her daughter Alexis of Crownsville, Md.; son Matthew and daughter-in-law Elizabeth of Washington, D.C.; grandson Struan Brodie of Glasgow, Scotland; stepdaughter Gregory Cox Offley of Hampton Bays, N.Y.; sister-in-law Ann Rappel of Las Vegas; nieces Nancy Zagorsky of Camas, Wash., and Constance Burge of Los Angeles; nephews Roger Rappel of Loveland, Colo., Robert Rappel of Estes Park, Colo. and Jonathan Rappel of Las Vegas; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; as well as cousin Anadel Rich of Washington D.C.; and friends Marilyn Mayer of Southbury, Conn., and Anne Marie Mauro and Irene Roth, both of Riverdale.

Ms. Kelly’s ashes will be interred with her husband and family at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, N.Y., on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 11 a.m. The interment will be preceded by a remembrance service in the Kensico Chapel, at 10 a.m. For more information, call 443-370-2506.

In lieu of flowers, Ms. Kelly’s family suggests donations be made in her memory to the American Hospice Foundation: www.americanhospice.org.