“I felt isolated, alienated,” said the Drexel Hill resident. “I was going through so much and I wasn't even aware of how it was affecting me. I was losing my way. My grades dropped. I was partying and dealing with depression.”

That's when another coach and adviser “hand delivered” Kelly to a counselor.

“He led me to being in human services and really finding myself,” said Kelly, 59. “I thought if I could ever repay that. ...”

And for more than 30 years, that's exactly what Kelly has been doing.

Although he began his career in Bristol Township, he's been a social worker in Neshaminy School District since 1974. He's retiring at the end of this school year.

“I will miss the kids,” Kelly said chuckling. “They keep you young and on your toes.”

With strong, broad shoulders and sincerely kind eyes, Kelly is known for his passionate advocacy for teens, and a comforting tone and smile. His often blushing face gives the deception that he'll speak with an Irish brogue — though he incidentally does a decent Scottish impression.

“I'm not anxiously looking forward to retirement, but I'm at peace with it,” said Kelly. “It's about knowing when to go out while you've still got game. You absorb the stress these kids feel and the troubles they endure.”

That's one of the reasons why Kelly played rugby until he was 50.

Throughout his time in Neshaminy, Kelly struggled to remind people to recognize that kids sometimes need a break, too.

“No one works as hard as [Joe] does to make students feel welcome in a school that's ... crowded and chaotic ...,” said senior Katie Colon, 17. She added that Kelly helped her transition to the district's alternative school, the Tawanka Learning Center.

“[His] impact on the community will always be remembered by the students he has worked with,” Katie said.

Throughout his career, Kelly consoled pupils dealing with death, anxiety, depression, abuse, divorce and peer pressure.

In recent years, Kelly witnessed a tragic wave of teenage suicides within the Middletown high school. With the support of administrators, Kelly and his co-workers in 2006 established the frequently used Sanctuary Room, a place where students can get immediate crisis intervention, amongst other suicide prevention programs.

The concept was first recommended by the Neshaminy Suicide Task Force, which surveyed students.

“His patience, humor and level of caring for all the kids and families is immeasurable,” said fellow social worker Joe Werner. “He's funny, upbeat and real. He's one of a kind — a true legend.”

After his departure, Kelly said he plans on spending time with his wife, whom he married in 1990 in a New Zealand rugby club.

He also wants to pursue strength coaching certificates, including in the Russian kettle bell, a traditional cast iron weight that looks like a cannon ball with a handle.

Jaime Lynn Valleley, a Neshaminy social worker and crisis intervention specialist, called Kelly an inspiration.

“Joe has provided solace, support and compassion for his students and an indescribable resource to his co-workers,” she said. “His legacy will live on through the countless people whose lives he has touched.”

They are people Kelly said he won't soon forget.

“What amazed me most is what enormously good people these kids are,” he said. “One of the most memorable things about the current generation is that they're grateful and gracious. We've had to confront different things, but I got to accompany kids on their journey to the self.”

So, Kelly can consider his debt paid in full.