Grace M. Kelley

Grace Kelley (born Grace DeChiaro June 14, 1949 – September 8, 2026) lived a life defined by boundless warmth, infectious joy, and an extraordinary capacity for love.

Born in Queens as a remarkably happy child to her parents, Joseph and Martha, Grace grew up alongside her older brother Joseph, older sister Lucy and younger sister Mary. When her family later moved to Long Island, settling in Brentwood, New York, Grace blossomed into the vibrant spirit who would become the heartbeat of every room she entered.

In her youth, she met the love of her life, Gary Smith, with whom she welcomed two children, William and Laura. Grace possessed a rare gift for friendship. She was exceptionally kind, endlessly patient, loving, and the absolute life of the party. To know Grace was to want to be around her; she radiated a light that made everyone feel happy, seen, and cherished. She treasured the wonderful friends she made along the way—from the great times shared with friends at Ruby Tuesday’s and Popeyes, to the active community and special friendships she built later in life at Aqua Fit.

Though her marriage to Gary eventually ended, life offered Grace another profound chapter of love when she met Robert Kelley. The two were married in 1992. Tragically, Robert passed away suddenly and young, leaving Grace widowed. Through this heartbreak, her resilience and enormous heart remained unchanged. Later in life, Grace was blessed a third time with a deeply loyal friend and companion, Steven Price, who always stood steadfastly by her side.

Grace’s greatest pride and joy lived in her expanding family. She became a doting grandmother to Amanda Grace (born to her daughter Laura) and later welcomed three more grandchildren through her son Billy: Olivia, Yasmin, and Gabriella. As her family grew, her arms and heart widened even further. When Laura remarried Andy, Grace joyfully embraced two grandsons, Ibrahim and Safet. When Billy became engaged, his fiancée brought her two children, Yesenia and Yasmine, into the family circle, whom Grace loved as her own.

The blessings continued when her eldest grandchild, Amanda Grace, gave birth to a set of twins, Grace and Bella- Grace Kelly’s very first great-grandchildren. Fourteen years later, the family was blessed with yet another set of twins, Mia and Jalen. Even though little Mia and Jalen did get a chance to meet their great-grandmother they were too young to get to know her but her incredible memory will be carried on and told to them by their older sisters, all their cousins, and all of Grace’s devoted friends.

Grace was blessed many times over, but the truest blessing belonged to everyone who knew her. She leaves behind a legacy of pure devotion as a remarkable mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, mother-in-law, sister, and loyal friend whose memory will forever be a celebration of joy! Grace Kelley will be loved and remembered forever she is truly an amazing Grace🥰