Denis Kelleher

Denis Kelleher

Denis Kelleher, a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of The Staten Island Foundation, passed away on November 22, 2019.  He was 80.

Denis was an immigrant from Ireland whose “rise from cash strapped immigrant to Wall Street fame” has been described as “an American Dream story personified.”

As a member of the Board of The Staten Island Savings Bank, Dennis played a critical role in advising the CEO, Harry Doherty, to take the bank public and enable the establishment of a charitable foundation to benefit the least advantaged people of Staten Island. Denis went on to serve over 20 years on the Foundation’s board and was deeply committed to giving back to the Staten Island community that he called home.

Denis’ longstanding, humble support of so many important causes in our community was recognized in 2005 when he was named Grand Marshal of New York City’s 244th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. As he said at the time, “You can dream, but you have to dream big, work hard and learn constantly. But this is beyond even my wildest dreams.” Through his leadership at the Foundation, Denis encouraged us all to dream big, work hard and learn constantly in service to the Staten Island community.