Remembering Jean Sicard Kelleher

The following article originally appeared in the April 17 issue of the Canton Citizen.

The communities of Canton and St. John the Evangelist lost a beloved and inspirational friend last week with the passing of Jean Sicard Kelleher at the age of 54.

Jean Kelleher at her desk at St. John’s School

A nearly lifelong resident of the town and a 30-year veteran educator at St. John’s School, Kelleher left her mark in both big and small ways, serving as a role model to generations of schoolchildren and teaching loved ones and even strangers about the healing power of faith and love.

For three years she bravely battled pancreatic carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer with a notoriously poor prognosis. Initial estimates gave her only months to live, yet she defied the odds and actually improved for quite some time, remaining active and fit to the amazement of her doctors and her many friends.

“She just didn’t give up,” said fellow St. John’s teacher Kathy Kelly. “That was the main thing about Jean is that she didn’t give up trying to get better; she didn’t give up with hope so that she could be with her family, and she never gave up with her students.”

Although she stepped down from her teaching duties in 2012, Kelleher remained a fixture at St. John’s for the past two years, volunteering up to 15 days a month and visiting often with her former students and colleagues.

Pamela Dow, a family friend and fellow teacher, said Kelleher lived up to her reputation as an “incredibly strong woman.”

“Even after beginning her chemotherapy treatments, Jean volunteered at school and was a regular face in the halls,” said Dow, whose best friend Lindsay is Kelleher’s niece. “The students were at ease seeing her at school and it helped all of us understand just how strong she was.”

“She was a presence in the classroom even at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year,” added Dow. “She spent two mornings a week in the first grade doing phonics and having snack with us. My students missed her dearly once she stopped coming. Jean was someone who jumped into your heart and stayed there.”

To show their support, the students participated in several fundraisers in honor of Kelleher, including the New England Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk on George’s Island. A group of girls also donated their hair to Locks of Love, while two male students sold purple bracelets and donated the proceeds to pancreatic cancer research at Dana Farber.

“She loved those kids and they loved her,” said colleague Julie Miller, who characterized teaching as Kelleher’s “second love,” behind only her family, including her husband, Michael, and her two children, Shauna and Matthew.

Kelleher also had a sister to lean on, Claire Lund, as well as a close-knit circle of friends, all hailing from the Canton High School Class of 1977. Some of them she had known since grade school, including Marie Monahan, who shared every joy and setback with Kelleher over the past three years.

In addition to being a source of emotional support, Kelleher’s friends also helped organize a big celebration and fundraiser in her honor that was held at the Canton Town Club, and a few of them would later travel halfway around the world with Kelleher as she made a life-affirming trip to the Marian apparition site at Medjugorje, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It was there that the four friends saw a sign from God — a cross in the sky that was witnessed by thousands of other believers and captured in an unforgettable photograph.

It was one of many remarkable signs witnessed by the women on their memorable trip, and while it didn’t result in the miracle cure that Kelleher had been praying for, it brought her closer to her friends and it strengthened her faith.

As Kelleher had noted after returning from Medjugorje, “I really do believe that everything is God’s will. I know what I want and what I’m praying for, but it doesn’t always mean that it’s going to happen.”

Sister Francis Marilyn, a religion teacher at St. John’s School, is one of many who witnessed Kelleher’s faith firsthand.

“During this time of her sickness, Jean often talked with me,” she said. “Jean came to the convent when a Mass was celebrated there and she would receive a special blessing and prayers from the priest. This would make her very happy. Jean’s enthusiasm will be greatly missed at St. John’s. May she rest in peace.”

And besides being a loving mother, a dedicated teacher, and a woman of God, Kelleher also had a great personality, according to her friends and colleagues.

“If she was in the room, we were laughing and, most certainly, enjoying ourselves,” said Dow. “She had a way of easing tension and enveloping everyone with a warm, comfortable feeling.”

“She also had a great way with words — she was an excellent writer — loved to cook, take long walks, and chat on the phone,” added Miller. “I’m not sure what else to say except for she will be missed by so many people.”

Dow said her influence “spans clear across Canton for generations.”

“It’s hard to go somewhere around town and meet someone who didn’t know Jean, or know of her,” she said. “She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered as an amazing colleague, an incredible educator, and a remarkable friend and woman.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Apr 24 2014. Filed under Featured Content. Both comments and pings are currently closed.