Dr. Tom Kelly ’83, longtime associate professor of accounting and chair of the Department of Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics, passed away on June 14, 2023, following a long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed by his many current and former students, as well as the entire Franciscan University community.
To honor Dr. Tom Kelly’s memory and build upon his legacy, his colleagues have established the Dr. Tom Kelly Memorial Fund.
Your gift to the Dr. Tom Kelly Memorial Fund will support the initiatives of the Department of Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics, including Christian Students in Free Enterprise events, Business Advisory Board events, and other department priorities.
“Tom was a dear friend and colleague: smart, practical, wickedly funny, devoted, unfailingly loyal. A wonderful teacher, he profoundly influenced countless students and made a difference in their lives and careers. His professional accomplishments were many and impressive. Under his strong leadership, the Department of Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics made huge strides. But I will miss most of all his friendship. Tom had a special love for Our Lady and the Rosary. I pray she will reward his devotion and wrap him now in her loving mantle.”
—Dr. Steve Hildebrand, Vice President for Academic Affairs
“Tom was a devoted husband, father, friend, and teacher. He would often comment about how lucky he was to have married Sandy, who put up with his salty humor and took care of him with love and devotion during the difficult final months. He was also so proud of his daughters, Maria and Theresa, as he watched them launch into their fields of chemistry and teaching after college. He demonstrated passion and loyalty in all his daily interactions and loved to spend hours ‘working the phone,’ getting his many friends and colleagues to rally around initiatives in support of his students, the Business Department, and Franciscan University. He was intensely proud of the Christian Students in Free Enterprise Club and the Business Advisory Board, both of which he launched. He would often talk about the importance of ‘bringing Christ into the marketplace’ and the need to unite the teachings of the Church with the principles of the free enterprise system. Under his leadership, the Business Department grew by nearly 50 percent, and he set it on a path to be one of the most compelling majors in the University. Tom was a dear friend, and we will all miss him. The world is not the same with him gone, but we take some comfort knowing that he is at peace with the Lord.”
—Douglas Perry, Executive Director of the Leadership Institute
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
