Kathleen (Kathy) Ann Kelley, aged 71, of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, passed away on April 23, 2023, after a long illness. She was the daughter of the late Walter H. and Mary (Parsons) Kelley.

She is survived by her canine companion, Kacey, her brother Reed (Kathleen) Kelley, and numerous cousins and friends.

Kathy graduated from Jefferson High School in Edgewater in 1969. She earned her undergraduate degree in speech therapy from Colorado State University, during which time she spent a couple of summers pursuing her interests in natural history interpretation in Zion National Park in Utah and Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in North Dakota through the Student Conservation Association.

After obtaining a master’s degree, also in speech therapy from CSU, she began her career as a therapist in the Cambridge, Wisconsin, school district. She then returned to Colorado and spent most of her career as a speech and language therapist at several elementary schools in the Cherry Creek school district.

Kathy had a lifelong love of horses and riding, gardening, skiing, and bird watching, and retiring in her 50s allowed her to pursue these and other varied interests in more depth. The overriding theme was nature and the outdoors. She volunteered at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, both at the museum itself and on fossil digs in Colorado and neighboring states; hiked in the Rockies with her beloved Kacey and before that, Abbey – both border collie mixes; partnered with Kacey on canine scent training (“nose work”); and sang alto in various choral groups. She was also a devoted caregiver to her mother in her final years. Above all, Kathy was a model of courage and strength to all who knew her.

Kathy’s family is especially grateful to her core group of very special friends who supported her throughout her illness in so many ways, from doing the illness-related tasks of accompanying her to medical appointments to giving her opportunities to keep engaged in life external to her illness. Those wishing to make a donation in Kathy’s memory may do so to the following organizations: ASPCA, NPR, and SHARE Cancer Support.

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