Kristen Jennifer Kelley

Kristen Jennifer Kelley was born October 15, 1983 and was brutally taken from us on the morning of her 34th birthday, October 15, 2017. Krissy was a single mother of three children. The family also includes the children’s half-sister and a neighborhood teenager. She was born in Tampa and raised in Brandon. A happy and energetic little girl who played, wrote stories and played softball. Her softball nickname was “spunky”. She was a ball girl during the 1997 inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch softball team the Tampa Bay Firesticks. Kristen’s was employed as an office manager for a BayCare pediatric office in Tampa. She often worked another job to support her family and had two businesses including Younique Cosmetics. Kristen would enter a room with her trademark greeting of “Hola!”. The room came to life with her presence and personality. Kristen enjoyed watching sunsets, spending time with her children at birthday parties, park outings, and pool parties. In the days since her death the family has realized the extent of Kristen’s reach. Her Facebook page on Sunday morning first offered greetings of “Happy Birthday” but with the revelation of her senseless death saw an explosion of disbelief, of grief and sorrow with a staggering number of Facebook comments and shares. Her family was preparing to celebrate her birthday that Sunday afternoon. But how do you explain this loss to her children? To ourselves? How does a parent sum up a child’s life that ended far too early? The words on a grave marker of “Loving daughter and mother” is insufficient for others to know Kristen. They’ll never know the inner beauty and strength that kept her smiling even though she was hurting inside at times. It doesn’t explain what her passions were, what her favorite foods were, what her favorite color was. How does one replace the light of our beautiful daughter?

Kristen is survived by her children, Brennan Clark, Jakoby Clark, Kamryn Clark, their half-sister Libby Manly-Clark, her mother JoAnne M. Kelley, her father Kenneth A. Kelley and his partner Cynthia Cross Fleming. Her brother Kenneth Jeffrey Kelley and wife Jacqueline Kelley and son Henry as well as Grandparents, numerous Aunts and Uncles and countless friends. Visitation is Sunday November 12, 2017 from 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home in Brandon. Church service is Monday November 13, 2017 at 11:00 AM at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon. A Celebration of Life is Sunday November 13, 2017 at 5:00 PM at Bahia Beach at Little Harbor, Ruskin.