Obituary for Sheila K. Kelley
Sheila K. Kelley worked hard in this life; and now she can rest. She passed away peacefully on January 3, 2023 at KC Hospice House. She was the only daughter of George & DeMaris Modrell and loved her three brothers Lynn, Howard and Jim. She was a proud graduate of Wyandotte High School, Class of 1968. She was excited to attend the 50th class reunion celebration and enjoyed every minute of that weekend. Go Bulldogs!
Sheila was first married to Jimmy Knight and had a daughter, Donna. She later married the love of her life, Frank Kelley and theirs was a true love story. They met when both were working at Katz Drugstore in Kansas City, KS and didn’t even like each other at first. Frank thought she was a short squirt with too much responsibility and Sheila thought he was a “big dumb cluck who couldn’t count change.” That’s how she worded it and that’s what we’ll always remember. That story was told and retold with such affection and love over the years. No one really knows how and when it changed but somehow these 2 people who frequently annoyed each other at work, started dating and fell in love. They were married May 17, 1974 and never looked back. They had 2 children together: a son, Patrick and a daughter, Kimberly. Sheila loved being a Mom! It was a top priority to be there for her family. She took the early morning shifts at her job starting each day at 5:30 a.m. so she could be home in the evenings and on weekends. She never missed a single school event. She was there for every classroom party, parent/teacher meeting, school presentation, sporting event, band and choir concert, bowling tournament and so much more. She also took great joy in being a neighborhood Mom. There were always “extra” kids at the house and most just called her Mom. The same is true of so many kids at the bowling alley where she spent every weekend as a youth bowling coach. “Mrs. Kelley” was too formal and “Sheila” was okay but “Mom” is what she preferred. Sheila was overjoyed when she became a grandmother. The woman who always preferred being called Mom was truly over the moon to be called MeMaw.
Sheila loved watching sports and attended games whenever possible. She was especially passionate about KU basketball and the Kansas City Royals. Some of her favorite things that will always make us think of her include sunflowers, 60s music, fuzzy socks, snickerdoodle cookies and strawberry shakes. Her favorite game was finding animal shapes in the clouds and laughing as the shapes transformed from one thing to the next. She had an extraordinary laugh and it’s one of the things we’ll miss most.
On the other side, Sheila was reunited with her parents, her brother Lynn, her husband Frank, her beloved dog, Bear, and her grandson Maverick. To remember her here are daughter Donna and her wife, Karen; son Patrick and his wife Tawnia; and daughter Kimberly and her husband Travis. She will be greatly missed by her grandchildren Michael, Julie, Logan, Bailey, Lilli, Kelli, Caitlin, Valerie and Troy. She will also be missed by her grandpuppies, Asia and Rufus, who especially enjoyed sharing turkey sandwich lunches with her.
The family has chosen not to hold a service at this time. Sheila didn’t like to be fussed over in life and she wouldn’t want a fuss now. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Heart of America chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association - Heart of America Chapter (alz.org); or to KC Hospice House - Kansas City Hospice House™ - Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (kchospice.org).
Sheila was first married to Jimmy Knight and had a daughter, Donna. She later married the love of her life, Frank Kelley and theirs was a true love story. They met when both were working at Katz Drugstore in Kansas City, KS and didn’t even like each other at first. Frank thought she was a short squirt with too much responsibility and Sheila thought he was a “big dumb cluck who couldn’t count change.” That’s how she worded it and that’s what we’ll always remember. That story was told and retold with such affection and love over the years. No one really knows how and when it changed but somehow these 2 people who frequently annoyed each other at work, started dating and fell in love. They were married May 17, 1974 and never looked back. They had 2 children together: a son, Patrick and a daughter, Kimberly. Sheila loved being a Mom! It was a top priority to be there for her family. She took the early morning shifts at her job starting each day at 5:30 a.m. so she could be home in the evenings and on weekends. She never missed a single school event. She was there for every classroom party, parent/teacher meeting, school presentation, sporting event, band and choir concert, bowling tournament and so much more. She also took great joy in being a neighborhood Mom. There were always “extra” kids at the house and most just called her Mom. The same is true of so many kids at the bowling alley where she spent every weekend as a youth bowling coach. “Mrs. Kelley” was too formal and “Sheila” was okay but “Mom” is what she preferred. Sheila was overjoyed when she became a grandmother. The woman who always preferred being called Mom was truly over the moon to be called MeMaw.
Sheila loved watching sports and attended games whenever possible. She was especially passionate about KU basketball and the Kansas City Royals. Some of her favorite things that will always make us think of her include sunflowers, 60s music, fuzzy socks, snickerdoodle cookies and strawberry shakes. Her favorite game was finding animal shapes in the clouds and laughing as the shapes transformed from one thing to the next. She had an extraordinary laugh and it’s one of the things we’ll miss most.
On the other side, Sheila was reunited with her parents, her brother Lynn, her husband Frank, her beloved dog, Bear, and her grandson Maverick. To remember her here are daughter Donna and her wife, Karen; son Patrick and his wife Tawnia; and daughter Kimberly and her husband Travis. She will be greatly missed by her grandchildren Michael, Julie, Logan, Bailey, Lilli, Kelli, Caitlin, Valerie and Troy. She will also be missed by her grandpuppies, Asia and Rufus, who especially enjoyed sharing turkey sandwich lunches with her.
The family has chosen not to hold a service at this time. Sheila didn’t like to be fussed over in life and she wouldn’t want a fuss now. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Heart of America chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association - Heart of America Chapter (alz.org); or to KC Hospice House - Kansas City Hospice House™ - Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (kchospice.org).