Penny Sue Kelsey

1949 - 2021

Penny Sue Kelsey

September 20, 1949 - March 17, 2021

Family, friends and traveling were Penny Kelsey's passions and she enjoyed all of them as much as possible before she passed peacefully in her sleep Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at her home in Albany.

Penny Sue Kelsey was born Sept. 20, 1949 in Dallas, Oregon, to David and Doris Marie (Breeden) Kelsey. She spent a lot of time growing up on her grandparents' property in Hoskins, Oregon, on the Luckiamute River after her father died, roaming free from dawn til dusk.

Her mother remarried and the family moved to Albany, where she attended school, graduating from Albany Union High School in 1967. She later married Elvin G. Burroughs and had two children, Shannon and Neil. The two later divorced.

Penny worked a few jobs throughout her life before becoming a dispatcher for the Albany Police Department in 1991, a position she loved and held until her retirement in 2012. On that job she met people who would remain her friends for the rest of her life.

Penny made friends wherever she went: school, work, traveling, it didn't matter. When you were a friend of Penny's, you were a friend for life.

Traveling with some of those friends was a joy for Penny, taking many trips with her circle of friends. One of her favorite stories was about traveling to England and being taken for a tour of castles around England in a Lamborghini.

Penny's greatest gifts were her heart, sharing it and caring for others when they needed it most, particularly for her family, as well as her great sense of humor and an underlying toughness she would employ once in a while to get her point across. Whether it be looking after her younger siblings when her mother had to work or lending a guiding hand to her beloved grandchildren, she was always ready to give whatever help was needed. Her love, generosity and humor will never be forgotten for those who were touched by it.

Penny is survived by her daughter, Shannon Burroughs of Salem; son Neil Burroughs of Reno, Nevada and grandson Bryson; grandson Austin Burroughs and Leah Zivney-Garcia, and great-granddaughter Amelia Ann Burroughs of Stayton, Oregon; brother, Tom Kelsey and his wife, Mary of Roseburg, Oregon; sister, Sheryl Hulbert and her husband, Tom, of Albany; her brother Kim Jackson and his wife, Julie, of Albany; sister Darlene Corson of Arizona; grandnephews Kendrick and Maverick, and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, David, and mother Doris.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 2, at Fisher Funeral Home in Albany, 306 Washington St., SW. Flowers may be sent to Fisher Funeral Home.

Officers from Albany Police Department will be in attendance, and a last call tribute will be performed as a tribute to Penny's service.