Dr. Michael F. Kelly was the orthodontist for a generation of Suffern kids. Before his death April 29 at 71, Kelly treated the children of his first patients and watched his own children catch his passion for his profession.

Between 1998 and 2004, his daughters Kathleen and Christine and son, Michael W., not only joined his practice on Route 59 in Montebello. They all changed careers to do so.

Kathleen started out a writer, but became disaffected with publishing’s corporate culture.

Christine worked in advertising and later for a headhunter for the ad business and Michael tired of selling Heineken Beer.

Just as they had all attended Suffern high School, they all completed dental training at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School.

A couple of years back, Kathleen Kelly joked that her arrival in the office made things complicated. “People would call and ask for Dr. Kelly,” she said. Finding out that the calls were often for her father, she said she would tell him, “They want the original recipe.”

Actually, the recipe in the Kelly office, whether in Montebello or later a second in Pearl River, remained pretty much the same.

Whether it was Dr. Kelly, Dr. Kelly, Dr. Kelly or Dr. Kelly, young patients were put at ease, sometime even getting amused by mom—Mary Ann Kelly—who did puppet shows while working the front desk.

The Kelly children said they never felt pressure to go into orthodontics. They just saw how much their father loved his work and loved learning. He even corresponded with Michael’s seventh-grade Latin teacher—in Latin.

Even as he eased out of a full load at the practice, Kelly still made visits to Harvard, where he was a long-time faculty member, helping to prepare other young orthodontists. Highly regarded in his field, he remained a resource for this colleagues and his children.