Kelly Denise Robertson

Kelly Robertson, of Corpus Christi, TX, wrote the last page of her life’s story on October 10, 2022 at the age of 45 after a short, but valiant 2nd battle against breast cancer. Her story began on August 9, 1977 when she was born as Kelly Denise Harrell, the oldest child to Dennis D. Harrell and Donna Lee (Sego) Harrell in Glasgow, KY. Kelly was preceded in death by her loving and wonderful grandparents. Left to celebrate her memory: daughters Amber Levay of Radcliff, KY and Savannah Levay of Corpus Christi, TX, and son Jasper Levay of Corpus Christi, TX; mother Donna Lee Harrell of Columbia, KY; father Dennis Dee Harrell (Fausta Luchini) of Savannah, GA; sister Jessica Fields (Joel) of Columbia, KY, brother Andrew Harrell (Brooke) of Dallas, TX, 2 grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and a host of friends. Kelly was raised mostly in Louisville, KY, at different times by a combination of people in her life: mother, father, stepmother, and grandparents. She was an exceptional student, incredibly intelligent, and musically gifted. Kelly was a talented flutist, captain of the trivia team, and a beautiful singer. She was the best big sister to two annoying younger siblings in the 80’s (need I say more?). She attended Seneca High School before marrying at 19 and gave birth to 3 amazing, smart, funny children that are gifts to our family. After struggling with her footings, Kelly truly found her life’s calling when she entered nursing school at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in her early 30’s. As a Registered Nurse, Kelly was nothing short of amazing. She was calm and collected, compassionate, and tough as nails when the situation warranted - which was frequent. She didn’t mince words or sugarcoat the truth, and her patients and coworkers were better for it. She was also insanely funny, sarcastic, and the world’s toughest patient. She took her skills to Mexico, where she practiced nursing at a local hospital over the summer and further sharpened her skills in the Spanish language, so she could better meet the needs of her patients. During the pandemic, she took her skills around KY, OH, and GA, finally landing in Corpus Christi, training new ER nurses so they were equipped to not only perform the rigors of the job itself, but how to handle the position. Everyone who worked with Kelly or was taken care of by her was better for it. She argued with doctors, fought for better PPE and hospital support, and was a stickler for nursing the right way, even if current hospital protocol hadn’t yet caught up to her standards. As everyone who knew her would attest, she was insanely proud of her children and grandchildren. She wanted to watch them excel in everything they pursued, as she knew they would, since they obviously inherited her High IQ. Her no-nonsense attitude, acceptance of differences, smart mouth, love of all things nerdy, and fight for fairness for the disadvantaged lives on in them. Kelly’s family is still grappling with the loss of this mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, friend, niece, and aunt. After years of searching for her truth, Kelly became an atheist, and her family and children are a mix of different faiths - Atheism, Agnosticism, and Christian. She was one of those rare people who could get along with people of any faith or political persuasion, she saw us all for more than just the party we belonged to, or the church we attended. The world needs more people like that, now more than ever. Her energy, as her best friends put so well, “is very much still here…Be comforted in knowing her energy is and will forever remain all around us.” The family wishes to express our eternal gratitude to her friends and coworkers at Christus Health, but especially to her best friend and caregiver Bethany Suthard, who stood by Kelly in good times and bad, loved her like a sister, cared for her body, mind, and spirit, and supported and walked with Kelly and her family in the last chapter of her story, through the last page, and even the last line. Words cannot express the debt of our gratitude for your love and care. We invite you to join us as we celebrate her life on Saturday Oct 22nd at Owen Funeral Home, 5317 Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY. Friends and Family will be welcomed for visitation from 11am-5pm, with a service to honor her life at 5pm. Donations can be made to Shirley’s Way in Kelly’s honor Shirley's Way, Inc. - Shirley's Way Everyday Giving Fund (networkforgood.com)

Kelly Denise Robertson

August 9, 1977 - October 10, 2022