Families of the Seven Mile Beach: Kellys Make Avalon Their Jersey Shore Home Now
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles highlighting the families of the Seven Mile Beach. The opportunity for a family to tell their story was auctioned off during the Festival of Trees Fundraiser last Thanksgiving weekend in Avalon. Debbie Kelly was the highest bidder, and she received a holiday wreath along with the opportunity to tell her family’s story. We hope you enjoy reading about the Kellys.
Debbie Kelly may be a relative newcomer to Seven Mile Beach, but she has been well acquainted with the Jersey Shore for all of her life.
“I was a lifelong Margate vacationer, as my family had a house there for nearly 50 years,” she says. But when Kelly’s son Brian began a relationship with Meghan Hutchinson, whose roots reached into Avalon, the town began to pique her interest.
“I said to my husband Paul, ‘If they get married, we might have to move to Avalon,” Kelly recalls.
Fast forward to early May 2020, when the finishing touches were put on the Kelly’s new bayfront home in Avalon, just in time to host an engagement party for the young couple. And ever since, the Kellys – who also have a daughter, Megan – have been happy with their decision to call Avalon home, at least for part of the year. The majority of the year they live in Miami Beach.
The onset of COVID-19 restrictions had forced Debbie Kelly to work remotely, but it also afforded her and Paul the opportunity to buy an empty lot on 5th Avenue and enlist local builders, Bowman Walker, located on Dune Drive in Avalon, to construct their new home.
“We’re so lucky we bought before COVID,” said Debbie. “There weren’t any construction delays and we were able to have Thanksgiving in the new house.”
Among the things the Kellys like to do while on Seven Mile Beach are cruising the waters on their boat and riding bicycles from the end of Avalon to the tip of Stone Harbor. Debbie also enjoys playing pickleball on the 8th Street courts. And while there are many memories left to be made, they will always remember the engagement and subsequent wedding of their son as part of their introduction to Avalon.
“We’re so glad we made the move to Avalon,” she said. “We really love it here, and there’s nothing better than enjoying the spectacular sunsets over the bay.”
