Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr. Returns Home to Livermore After 81 Years

LIVERMORE, Calif., May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This Memorial Day weekend, the San Francisco East Bay will witness a profound homecoming more than 80 years in the making.

2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., a native son of Livermore and a World War II bombardier, will be laid to rest with full military honors. Lt. Kelly, born January 27, 1923, was baptized at St. Michael Catholic Church and graduated from Livermore High School before answering the call to serve his country.

Assigned to the 90th Bombardment Group, 320th Squadron, he flew missions in the Pacific Theater of the war until his B-24 bomber was shot down over Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea, on March 11, 1944. He and the other 10 members of his crew were declared Missing In Action. For decades, his family and community held hope that he would be brought home. In 2017, his aircraft was located by a nonprofit group named Project Recover, and after a 2023 recovery mission by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, his remains have been positively identified.

His return to Livermore will be marked by a solemn series of events, including a motorcade procession, Lying in Repose at Monte Vista Memorial Gardens and Mortuary. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects during the Lying in Repose at Monte Vista Memorial Gardens on Sunday, May 25, and to attend the funeral rites at St. Michael Catholic Church on Monday, May 26, on a space-available basis. The interment at St. Michael Cemetery will be private, out of respect for the family and due to space limitations. In honor of Lt. Kelly's sacrifice, Monte Vista Memorial Gardens will dedicate its planned veterans memorial in his name.

"Tommy left Livermore in 1942 to do his part in the war, and like so many others in that conflict he ended up giving more than he expected. After more than eight decades he is finally coming home to a family that never forgot him, and to a community who can help us remember him," said Scott Althaus, who is a cousin to Lt. Kelly.

Full ceremony details available at https://montevistamemorialgardens.com/lt-kelly.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Sadie Ferguson,
415-225-7097, info@MonteVistaMemorialGardens.com.

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SOURCE Monte Vista Memorial Gardens & Mortuary