My dear friends,
It is with a heavy heart and a great sadness that I write this letter. As you may have already heard Kelly S. Bell died early Sunday morning on June 1st, 2008. I don’t know how to describe my relationship with her except that it spanned 14 years and included nearly every facet of a human relationship that is possible. She was my best and closest friend, deepest love and an indelible benchmark in my life. She struggled with lifelong addiction issues and while most recently our relationship was more distant, she never left my heart. I pains me to think that she left this life without every fully realizing the significance that she represented to so many people and especially to me.
Her obituary is online at http://www.legacy.com/AZCentral/Obituaries.asp You will have a chance to comment in a guest book. Please do so. You can also go to the email address written at the end of the obituary for more information.
Kelly Bell was a truly amazing person, mother, sister, daughter and friend. She was the type who would drop anything to help anyone in need and anything short of was inconceivable to her. Her contributions in life can only be measured by the ripples that she left behind. Kelly's ripples resemble more of a tidal wave. She left her mark on everyone and anyone who has ever met her with her unending enthusiasm, unconditional love and the unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. She has a reputation in such a variety of circles because she only way she ever knew how to be was authentic. To meet her was to know her and to know her was to be moved by her. Whether it was a new friend she made at the gas pump, someone who heard her speak at a women’s prison or a dear friend that she had shared decades with she shared herself with the world with a rawness and passion that can only be described as Kelly Bell.
As do we all, Kelly had her demons. In the end, they got the best of her and left a great many of us feeling a gigantic hole that we have always been able to fill with her spirit. If you had the opportunity to know her then you have experienced it, if you didn’t then you can only feel it by hearing from the many she touched just how quickly and deeply she touched us. While any relationship with Kelly seemed to have its trials, the sheer volume of those of us who continued to stand in her fire pays a tribute to just how lovable she was and tells clearly her importance in our world. She will be missed deeply and often.
Dave Sloan
Prayer for the Deceased
We beseech Thee, O Lord, in Thy mercy, to have pity on the soul of Thy handmaid; do Thou, Who hast freed her from the perils of this mortal life, restore to her the portion of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Donations for College
White Light
Please send white light onto the friends and family of Kelly Bell.