Roll of Honor
Biography
Michael was a Lieutenant for the Merrimack College Police Department. He was a retired Lieutenant for the Salem, NH Police Department, where he served his community for over 20 years. He started his career in Keene, NH where he served for 7 years as a patrol officer as well as a detective and heroically saved a young boy’s life from a car accident. Michael was a graduate of UMass Lowell. Michael enjoyed skiing, golf, hockey, hiking, cooking, and cleaning, He loved being around water whether it was his pool in Londonderry, Northwood Lake, or the beaches of Florida. He was a true kid at heart. Most of all Michael loved his family and was so very proud of them. What I love and miss most about Michael is his child-like sense of adventure. We always said Michael was just a big kid. So many family vacations at the ocean, he was the first one in the water and the last one out. He was an avid skier and in typical Michael style, he would challenge us to ski the black diamond trails and try and be faster than our children Ryan and Erin. He loved to cook and even more than that he loved when people enjoyed his meals. He was known for his chili and his pork roast with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. Michael also was a fun-loving dog dad. As much as he didn’t want to get a dog and the kids talked him into it, Michael spoiled our dog Chloe and she loved him. Michael touched so many lives with his friendship and caring. He left a lasting impact wherever he went. He loved deeply and was loved by so many. He will be forever missed and his legacy of love will live on in his children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NH-5D391D57- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
Officer Michael Kelly served with the Salem Police Department.
Thank you for your service. We will always remember your sacrifice.
You belong on this wall. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Michael Kelly is one of 256 officers honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job across the full record of this memorial — 0.8% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NH, 3 of 59 officers were honored for deaths connected to the weight of the job — 5.1% of this state's fallen. That is 4.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0.8%.
National Cause Distribution
How Suicide compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Kelly's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Kelly Compares
When Suicide Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Suicide deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Kelly is highlighted in Jul.