Bob & Marion Kelliher Memorial Fund

Marion and Bob Kelliher Memorial Page

Bob and Marion Kelliher were committed and active servants of their communities. Their work was extensive and included environmental/conservation activism, social equality, and historical preservation. Through their numerous ventures, the Kellihers impacted many in Chicago’s south suburbs and Illinois as a whole. All of these contributions occurred in conjunction to creating a legacy through their family, as well. The Kellihers had 8 children, who went on to give them 23 grandchildren and, so far, 15 great-grandchildren. In July of 2019, Marion passed away at 96 years old and in December 2021, Bob passed at 99.99 years old. 

The Kelliher family is seeking to create a lasting memory in Bob and Marion’s honor. The objective of this page is to raise funds to continue their activism. This money would be allocated to the various sites/groups that the Kellihers were involved in and would be formally managed by Friends of Big Marsh, acting as fiscal agent. Our hope is that a possible speaker series would serve as a platform to carry on their voices and their values of conservation, appreciation for nature, community togetherness and involvement. Below is a short synopsis of Bob and Marion’s servant leadership.

Bob and Marion led incredible, expansive, and fulfilling lives. In their own ways, they were each truly one of a kind. They were both WWII veterans, conservationists, preservationists, civil rights activists, nature enthusiasts - the list goes on! They lived and raised their family of 10 in Riverdale, Illinois, a neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. The Kellihers had a deep and abiding love for the earth, and all the wonders in nature, a value that has been diffused throughout their entire family. A separate writing could be created to list the thousands of memories and lessons that family members obtained from their parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, etc. 

Bob served the Village of Riverdale as President of the Blood Bank, the Riverdale Tree Commission, and the Zoning Board. He was once a President of the Calumet Ecological Park Association (CEPA), the organization that spearheaded the decades long struggle to save the Calumet wetlands. He was also a board member and past President of the Sand Ridge Audubon Society and regularly participated in the SRAS Christmas Bird Count, as well as aiding in prairie restoration at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

Marion was a leader in community activism with her volunteer work for Human Action Community Organization (HACO), Tri-cities and New Cities (which sought tolerance and acceptance at a challenging time in the South suburbs).  She worked as a founding member, along with Tom Shepherd, Professor Larry McLellan, and others of the Little Calumet Underground Railroad Project, to establish a monument to those freedom seekers who passed through the Ton Farm on the banks of the Calumet River.  This collective effort came to fruition in late 2022, when a State Historical Marker was installed at Jan and Aagje Ton Farm site - a recognized National Park Service “Network to Freedom” location on the grounds of Chicago’s Finest Marina, owned by Ronald Gaines.  Marion was also involved with CEPA and restoration of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and along with Bob and son Geary, served meals at Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) supporting the homeless in their area.

On a personal note, Bob was known for taking every opportunity to ponder and pontificate, enjoy enthusiastic readings of Lewis Carroll, handcrafted items such as shinny sticks, wove willow light fixtures & baskets, and was a sly master of Pinochle. Marion was known for her extensive knitting talents, perfectly tart and smooth Lemon Meringue pies, gorgeous hand stitched quilts (which may have ignited an interest in the role of quilts as coded communication along the Underground Railroad), and finally, taking no guff from Bob, especially in the game of Pinochle. Together, their expertise in homemade raspberry jam lives on in the family, as does a love of plants and the environment.

This joint effort to create a memorial has been directed by the Kelliher family but has been notably supported by friends and community members. It has been astounding to realize the depth of involvement and impact that the Kellihers had. We would like to acknowledge some of those who have supported this pursuit: 

• Paul Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Friends of Big Marsh

• Carolyn Marsh, who initially promoted the idea of a memorial after Bob’s passing

• Tom Shepherd, an officer of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project

• Ders Anderson, who works with Openlands (a group created in 1963 to protect the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois) and acted as guide as this project was created

Their contributions have been greatly appreciated in moving this project forward.

The Family of Robert and Marion Kelliher