Laura Kelly (baptised "Loretta") finished her senior year of high school in 1923 and moved immediately from Ottawa, Illinois to Detroit with her father's family. Henry and his two eldest sons, Harry and Emmett, had agreed to form the private law firm of Kelly, Kelly, and Kelly and have as their largest client, General Motors. She was an avid sports player, excelling in tennis, whose competitive nature later in life made her a great fan of penny-ante poker and bingo.
Through her brother Larry, she met Leon Walsh, a court probation officer, in Detroit and they were married and had three sons: Jerome (1933), Robert (1936), and James (1940). They spent most of their years in Detroit in their brick home on Littlefield.
In 1971, Laura and Leon moved to Winter Haven, Florida to be near their son Bob and his family. In January 1977, Leon suffered his fourth heart attack and died. Laura continued to live in Florida until 1988 when she moved back to the Detroit area where she lived in assisted living until her death at 85 years.
Laura was most known for her quick wit and ready laugh. She readily told stories of her father's electric car in Ottawa, her trip to the governor's mansion to see her eldest brother Harry's summer place, and the time that she tossed an intruding cat out of the second story window.
She had a favorite response to a silly story--"cockaneish." When we asked her what that meant in Gaelic, she'd reply, "Wisha." (spelling is phonetic only!)
