Joy Wilde Elvira Kelleher Obituary | April 27, 2026
Joy Elvira Wilde Kelleher of Coventry, Connecticut, passed away on Monday, April 27th 2026, at Woodlake at Tolland at the age of 94. Joy died peacefully with her family at her side.
Joy was born in Lincoln, New Hampshire, to mother Louise (Harlow) and father Fred Wilde, and was the older sister to brother Hugh. They moved to Massachusetts and then Pomfret, CT, where Joy and Hugh attended school, counted cars driving by the family house, and got into and out of plenty of hijinks together. Joy married her Putnam High School sweetheart, William “Bill” Kelleher, in 1950, and they had four children together. She is survived by Bruce Kelleher of Willington, CT, Brian Kelleher of Chaplin, CT, and Barry Kelleher of Coventry, CT. She is predeceased by her husband, Bill and her daughter, Ellen Kelleher Marrotte.
Joy completed a nursing training program after high school, and put those skills to good use as she raised Ellen and her 3 sons. She also worked in the Coventry school system, teaching hundreds of kids how to read, just as she did to many of her grandchildren. She was known for her generosity of spirit and volunteered for many years in the town of Coventry and the local area. However, once her kids were out of the house and Bill retired, they fulfilled her dream of opening a bed and breakfast and a Doll and Toy Shoppe and Museum, Special Joys. The “Big Pink Victorian House” in Coventry was known far and wide and did a booming business hosting guests from across the country and internationally. Joy and Bill found time to travel, enjoying trips throughout Europe, crossing Canada to the West Coast, and travelling all over the United States. Joy never met an antique store she didn’t want to stop in, a fried clam she didn’t enjoy, or a garden pea she didn’t shell and eat off the vine. She was beloved by so many in the New England antiques and collectibles community, providing friendship and mentorship to many over the years. She will be missed by her sons, her 8 granddaughters, her numerous great-grandchildren, and her friends from the antiques community and beyond.
The family would like to thank Beacon Hospice and Milena, her caregiver from Nutmeg Home Assistance, LLC.
