Betty Jane Kelley

Betty Jane Kelley, 85, passed away on Sept. 9, 2016 in Wasilla, Alaska.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, 2016 at Primrose Retirement Community Center, 889 Elkhorn Drive, Wasilla, Alaska 99654.

Elder Tom Hein from Wasilla Christian Church will officiate. Additional services will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana at a later date.

Betty was born Apr. 23, 1931 in Shelbyville, Indiana to Russell and Maude Shutt. She married Benny Harrison Kelley in 1955 in Carthage, Indiana. In 1960, yearning for a sense of adventure, Benny and Betty moved to Alaska and homesteaded in the Mat-Su Valley. They lived in Wasilla, Eagle River, and Anchorage. Betty worked at the Whaley Center for many years and retired with 20+years of service with the Anchorage School District. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Anchorage for decades. Her faith in God helped set in motion a family of believers and a tidal wave of kindness. She enjoyed taking road trips to visit family and friends. Her passion was dancing and she loved being a member of the Dancing Bears.

Her family said, “She was the nicest person you could ever meet. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. She really enjoyed helping others and would give you the shirt off her back. We celebrate the life, love, and legacy of Betty. She has stepped into the beginning of eternal joy with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She is now strong, happy, and home.

Betty was preceded in death by the love of her life, Benny in 1976. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Leah Kelley (Renzo Verbeek) of Colorado; her son, Buzz Allen Kelley (Susan Lynn Kelley) of Alaska; 3 granddaughters, Rachel Kathleen Stephens (Zachary); Alison Jane Fabacher (Austin); and Laura Marie Kelley; and 2 great granddaughters, Daisy Elaine and Aspen Sharon. In Betty’s honor, memorial donations can be made to a local food bank, homeless shelter, or ASPCA.

Dance on Mom, Dance on Mamma, Dance on Great Mamma, Dance on Betty Jane!