The passing of Professor Kitty Kelley was an unexpected one, and her death on the morning of May 19, 2006, was met with great shock and sadness. Her memorial service at St. Francis Xavier College Church on May 23 was filled with family and friends, as well as staff and faculty colleagues from the School of Law . Father Frank Reale conducted the Mass, and Kelley's friends and family gave tributes in her memory. Those tributes, from brother Pat Kelley and long-time friend Julie Fix, are excerpted here.

"Paul tells us something about heaven in the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians that my brother Jim read earlier. He says there are three essentials for the Christian life: faith, hope and love. Only love survives death. Faith is dissolved in knowledge, all our hopes are fulfilled, and love alone remains. Kitty, then, has been practicing for heaven all her life, for she has lived a life full of love. Kitty loved the good things God has given us: she loved life, knowledge and beauty, particularly the everyday beauty in the colors and patterns of quilts, which she also made and gave away, and the everyday beauty of good writing and good speech, which she taught to her students. Kitty loved words, the building blocks of good writing, and she knew more about words - their meanings, origins and nuances - than anyone I have ever known.

Kitty loved her family deeply. She gave of herself to them without counting the cost. She had each of her youngest nieces and nephews come visit her in St. Louis ; she made quilts for them, took them on shopping sprees and was always ready to listen to reports of their latest doings.

Kitty loved her students. She believed that making them better writers would make them not only better lawyers but also better people. Kitty was a superb classroom teacher. ... She set high standards for her students, and applied them rigorously, but she was always willing to give students the extra help and encouragement needed. Her students loved her, not because she was easy on them, but because they recognized that she wanted passionately for them to do the best they possibly could do. . Kitty loved her friends. She was there with them in good times, when her cheerful spirit and dry humor made the good times even better, and she was there with them in bad times, when she would listen with sympathy, fierce loyalty and practical advice. . She gave of herself to her friends without keeping anything back. At the time of her death, there were only two finished quilts in her house, and I believe they were just there waiting to be given away. I have a picture of Kitty in heaven, bathed in the love of God, hugging her mom, to whom she was devoted, and making heavenly quilts for her family and friends." - Pat Kelley

"I've known Kitty since 1992 when she first came to work at the Federal Courthouse for Judge J. Phil Gilbert. Before I actually met her, however, Tom McNamara told me she was "good folk" and I should be nice to her because I would like her, and how right Tom was.

Whenever she needed some 'culture' she'd head to St. Louis for a weekend visit. 'Culture' was really her code word for 'good shopping,' and we'd do our best to make sure that she soaked in as much 'culture' as her wallet could stand.

She moved to St. Louis after three years to clerk for Judge Beatty and although there was plenty of 'culture,' we also shared dinners, going to art fairs, and the best visits.

Kitty was a wonderful neighbor, and became an even better friend. She was fiercely loyal as a friend, and would do literally anything for me. She always said that a home-cooked meal was the perfect return for whatever favor she had done for me. And there was no favor she wouldn't gladly do. Although Kitty was terribly allergic to cats, she was the first to volunteer to feed my cats when I was out of town, or to come up on the evenings I taught to give my diabetic cat a shot of insulin. No matter what the task, she did it with generosity and without expecting anything in return from me.

Kitty did not do things in half-measures. She had several things she was passionate about: above all, her family; making quilts for others; trying her best to do the "right" thing in every situation; and, being a great friend. I was the lucky beneficiary of Kitty's good nature, great heart and wonderful friendship. I will miss her terribly, but always think of her with deepest affection." - Julie Fix