Kelly Jo Lueck

Lueck, Kelly Jo Kristine

Kelly Jo Kristine Lueck

Given by God August 24, 1985. Given to God August 10, 2013.

Often the brightest stars in the heavens burn out the most quickly and spectacular and rare comets that awe us are visible to our human eyes just briefly. So it was, it seems, with our beautiful Kelly Jo. She unexpectedly and suddenly left her earthly home in Los Angeles, CA to be welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus and to begin her eternal existence with our Heavenly Father, all the saints and angels. She fell asleep reading a book and passed away peacefully of natural causes.

We know she was greeted by many loved ones, some she'd never met until now. They include her maternal grandparents, Henry and Bernadette (Poupore) Vandermissen; maternal aunts, Doris Ogren and Marilyn Jean Vandermissen.

In recent years she grieved with us as we said goodbye to her dear Uncle Rick Eesley, cousins, Marilyn Jean (Ogren) Holmes, Jerry Vandermissen Jr., and Mathew Lueck. Just a couple of months ago she flew home to be with us as we laid to rest her sweet Godmother and aunt, Linda Berghoefer and beloved grandma, Loretta Lueck.

Kelly Jo graduated from Bay Port High School in Suamico where she not only excelled academically but also participated in many extracurricular activities. Most notably, she was a proud and talented member of the nationally acclaimed Bay Port Dance Team. She was a member of the National Honor Society, participated in musicals, sometimes choreographing scenes, taught dance to children at the YMCA and private studios, played piano and saxophone, sang in chorus and was a "Miss Behavin'" member of The Green Bay Gamblers, a junior hockey team. She modeled with several different agencies and was a spokesperson for various organizations.

She worked at Festival Foods West in Green Bay through much of her high school years to earn money for a car to drive out to California after graduation. It was her dream to attend and graduate from UCLA. She did that in June of 2009, after which she was excited to begin the next chapter of her life working at 20th Century Fox.

Her dear cousin, Mike Elliott, was living and working in Los Angeles when she relocated there and he acclimated her to the city and helped us find her first apartment in Studio City. It didn't take long, however, for her to begin making friends and loving her new home. Coworkers and friends from Vivian's Café, Macaroni Grill, Calabasas and Beverly Hills Country Clubs, and many beloved families for whom she nannied joined us on the beach of the Pacific Ocean she loved to honor and remember her just days ago. We released balloons and watched them drift slowly up to Heaven where we know she now is. Two of her closest friends, Shelby and Ximena, coordinated with the many others to put together that beautiful tribute to Kelly Jo's remarkable life. We were overwhelmed and are forever grateful!

Kelly Jo had a passion for dance, fashion, travel and people, especially children. She was a boundless lover of all animals. After working so hard to put herself through college, she treated herself to a worldwide tour with her lifelong friend, Jessica Hussong. Together they floated down the Nile, rode a gondola in Venice, saw the Great Pyramids and Eiffel Tower, went skydiving in Austria and rode a camel, just to mention a few. She loved all of God's creation and marveled in its splendor and beauty.

She was thrilled to become an Auntie two years ago when her brother and sister in law, Jeff and Heidi, blessed our family with a son, Ethan James, and a daughter, Clara Cathryn, ten months ago. She longed to be here with us and with them every single day since their births and came home as often as she could to hold and cuddle and spoil them. When she could not be here to do that in person, she sent cards and packages, called and Skyped as often as possible.

She leaves behind friends from all over the USA and the world! Many of them joined us at her celebration of life on the Pacific beach and will also be here with us as we celebrate her life with services in Green Bay.

We, her parents, Jim and Kris (Vandermissen) Lueck were given a "miracle" baby twenty seven years ago and will forever be grateful for having had the privilege of being her Mama and Daddy. Now along with her brother, Jeff Lueck; sister, Jeni Lueck; and everyone else who loved her so dearly, we must somehow go on and try to live the rest of our lives without her physically here with us. We know, however, she has not really left us.

Mourning her loss with us are her sweet Grampa Wally Lueck, aunts and uncles and remaining Godparents, Joyce Eesley, Jim and Betty Vandermissen, Jerry and Darlene Vandermissen, Lynda and Bill Elliott, Mike and Lynn Lueck, "Corky" Berghoefer, Jayne and Scott Rozanski, Nancy and Danny Nessman, Kaye and Paul Kruschke, and her many cousins. We now include as our family several of those whom she considered her California family, most notably the Ira and Juliana Rubenstein, Dave and Isla Shavelle, and the John and Leah Ketcham families. With love and gratitude we also gratefully acknowledge Dr. Ian Taras of California, who was much more than a physician to Kelly Jo. He was a friend whose competent and dedicated care and concern for her was not limited to office hours. We can never repay them for their incredible kindness and generosity, help and support throughout Kelly Jo's life on the West Coast and more recently as we traveled out there to make arrangements to bring her back home.

Kelly Jo has left us all with a remarkable challenge. If we can touch half as many lives as she did in her short time here on Earth, leaving indelible "heart-prints" of love and generosity, grace and compassion wherever she was and with whomever she met, then we may be worthy someday to enter the same Heavenly home where she surely now resides.

We love you to the moon and back, sweet baby, times INFINITY!

Friends may call at Blaney Funeral Home, 1521 Shawano Ave., from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday. A Prayer Service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friends may also call at SS. Edward and Isidore Catholic Church, 3667 Flintville Rd., from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the church. To send online condolences, please go to www.BlaneyFuneralHome.com.

A memorial fund has been established in Kelly Jo's name.