Christine Kelley

Christine Lokken Kelley of Green Bay, Wisconsin died on April 16th, 2018 at the age of 47 due to breast cancer. Christy deeply loved and was loved by her family and friends and will be sorely missed but always remembered.

There is no way to sum up a life in a few sentences but here are a few things I believe Christy would endorse. At times of stress it meant that it was time to clean, or at least organize. When life was out of control she did what she could to make it more orderly. Recipes were “more of a guideline really” and yet somehow always turned out great (well, mostly). Kindness pervaded her to the end including saying “I’m sorry” repeatedly to the firefighters who were so helpful when Hospice called and asked for assistance moving her from our recliner to a hospital bed at home since she had no strength left to give of her own. The boys sporting events were not to be missed. Also, when in doubt, smile.

As a child, Christy loved spending time sailing with her parents, Ronald and Judy Lokken and later with her husband and her adoring sons Mitchell Kelley (20) and Riley Kelley (17). No matter what age, family vacations meant bags of books to immerse herself in while anchored in whatever beautiful harbor in the Bay of Green Bay, Lake Michigan, or the North Channel of Lake Huron the boat might be nestled into for the evening.
Christy had an unwavering love of cats and after a period of doubt she even came to love the family dog. While her two boys were still young she would never pass up the opportunity to visit The Farm in Sturgeon Bay making very little pretense that the visit was anything other than to “hold the kittens” that were always abundant and available. To the occasional dismay of her husband, Daniel Kelley, (whom she married in 1994 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin) nary a stray cat should be left without at least attempting to coax it over and give it some attention. Things to remember, cats are good, spiders are bad.

Christy was born in Idaho Falls, ID and spent her childhood in Stevens Point, WI. She lived with her parents in Malaysia for a year when she was a junior in high school and later earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a double major in Business and International Studies. She earned her MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. Most of her career was spent conducting Market Research including successfully starting and running her own company in that same field.

In addition to her parents, husband, and sons, Christy is survived by her mother-in-law, Joanne Capes; father and mother-in-law, Wally and Pat Kelley; brother and sister-in-law, Brent and Katie Kelley; aunt and uncle, Jean and Herb Himmerich as well as many cousins and friends, all of whom already miss her terribly.

We hope friends and family will be able to join us when we celebrate Christy’s life together on Sunday, May 20th from noon to 3:00pm at the Brown County Reforestation Lodge, 4418 Reforestation Road, Green Bay, WI 54313.

Memorial donations can be made on behalf of Christine Kelley to the Ribbon of Hope Foundation of DePere, WI. http://www.ribbonofhope.com