Obituary of Ralph J Skelly

Ralph John Skelly, 68, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2017 at the Chatham Hills Care Facility. Mr. Skelly was a gentle husband, proud father, loving grandfather, loyal son, generous brother and friend. His memories, spirit and lineage will live on through his beloved wife, Margaret (Crofts) Skelly of Basking Ridge; his two devoted sons Paul, and his wife Sharon of Northboro, MA; Kevin, and his wife Jennifer of Randolph, NJ; his four cherished grandchildren, Brendon, Kathleen, Elizabeth and John. He is survived by his mother, Dolores Skelly of Forked River, NJ and sisters, Susan Skelly, Lorraine (Doug) Van Ness and Deborah (Bob) Schuessler as well as many more family and close friends. Mr. Skelly was born December 13, 1948, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Ralph Joseph and Dolores (Maloney) Skelly. A graduate of Morris Catholic H.S. in 1966, he received an Electrical Engineering Degree from FDU in 1970 and a Master's in EE from NJIT in 1975. Ralph was employed at Sperry Univac, Bell Labs & Metrotech NYC. In 1972 he met Margy, the love of his life, and began a wonderful life together that spanned over four decades. Mr. Skelly was an avid reader with a keen interest in Science and History. He was an accomplished runner finishing Philadelphia, Jersey Shore and NYC Marathons. He finished the 1981 NYC Marathon in 2 hours 33 minutes. In 1984, Ralph was an Olympic torch cadre runner who carried the torch through the Northeast on its way to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He was a lifelong fly fisherman whose favorite place was the Beaverkill River in Roscoe, NY. Mr. Skelly leaves behind a great legacy of kindness, hard work and love of family. Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home, 101 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ, from 2:00 – 5:00pm. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, January 30, 2017, 10:00am at St. James Church, 184 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Basking Ridge. For further information, or to light online condolence candle for the family please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Seton Hall Preparatory School or the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center in honor of the NICU.