It is with profound sadness that the family of Betty Louise Kelley, Alton, IL
announce that she passed peacefully on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at the age of 92
years. Born at home on June 13, 1932 to Thomas Leo and Helen Margaret (Vahle)
Fitzgibbons, she lived a full life as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister,
friend, and colleague. Betty retired from St. Anthony's hospital at the age of 80 years.
She was a lifelong Catholic and member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Godfrey, IL,
with special devotion to the Blessed Mother.
On November 5, 1954 she married Richard N. Kelley, who preceded her in
death. She was devoted to her family and will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.
Betty is survived by her son Richard and four daughters, Margaret Volner (Greg),
LuraSue Graves (Michael), MaryLou Moore (Jeff), and Virginia Ontis. She was a
grandmother to 14 grandchildren, Chris Ontis (Nichole), Kirby Ontis (Laura), Adam
Moore (Zoe), Meredith Thomason (Dan), Bill Ebling (Heather), Jon Ebling (Kristen),
Drew Moore, Hannah Moore, Jacob Graves, Sarah Graves, Amanda Goree (Tim),
Samantha Wilson (Allen), Alexis Dolan (Sean), and Sam Volner (Katie). She is also
survived by 23 great-grandchildren; Paige, Caden, Gavin, and Jack Ontis, Kyron,
Dagan, Zaila, Mikey, Raelynn, and Owen Moore, Joseph and Kristopher Thomason,
Addi, Audrey, Avenly, Robby, and Bentley Ebling, Marley, Halen, Presley, Everly, Kash,
and Axl Goree. She was a great-great grandmother to Kyron Jr. Moore. Betty is
survived by one brother, James Fitzgibbons, of North Carolina and a sister, Mary
Berghoff, of Godfrey, IL. Along with her parents, husband, and three brothers, she was
preceded in death by a daughter, Linda Kelley, and a grandson, Michael Richard
Graves.
Betty was in the workforce for over 60 years, and she was a strong advocate for
education. She held leadership positions within the Business and Professional Women's
Organization (BPW) at the local, district, and state levels. As part of this organization of
"women helping women" she worked tirelessly to encourage, advocate, and support the
advancement of women in business. She participated in a plethora of community
activities, most noteworthy were her years of coaching young women's softball teams
within Godfrey Khoury League.
Betty was an avid Cardinals baseball fan, seldom missing a game on TV. She
had outspoken opinions about her favorite and least favorite players and would quote
the latest standings, even dedicating a room in her home to Cardinal memorabilia. In
addition, Betty loved jigsaw puzzles, a hobby she shared with several of her children
and grandchildren. She delighted in the art of crochet, making and donating over 400
hats to St. Jude's Hospital.
Her house was the hub for holiday celebrations, especially for Christmas,
providing hand-picked gifts to all members of her family. She loved to travel and toured
Italy, France, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Austria, and Canada. Betty particularly enjoyed a
trip to Germany with her daughter's family, retracing the locations her husband had
described in letters to her from his time in the Air Force. She also had adventures within
the U.S, most notably, New York (Cooperstown), New Mexico, Alaska, Alabama (Gulf
Shores), Michigan, North Carolina, and Hawaii.
Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. until 12:45 p.m., Friday, August 2, 2024 at Gent
Funeral Home in Alton followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 1:00 p.m. at St.
Ambrose Catholic Church in Godfrey. The officiant will be Father Steven Janoski. Burial
will be at Valhalla Memorial Park in Godfrey. Memorial donations may be made to
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation or St. Ambrose Catholic Church. Online guestbook and information may be found at www.gentfuneralhome.com