Nancy K. Kelly

Nancy K. Kelly

April 5, 1938-May 19, 2020

DAVENPORT-Nancy was born Nancy Gove to parents Ray and Frieda Gove and raised in Grinnell, Iowa. Growing up she was active in 4H and credited her upbringing on the farm with her strong work ethic. She moved "to the city" in 1956 to attend Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She was a good student and excelled in her home economics courses. She was employed in the Walcott School District when she met Gerald "Jerry" Kelly at a wedding. "That's when life got interesting," she would say, noting that Jerry "knew how to have a good time!"

Nancy and Jerry married in April of 1966, and had six wonderful children who never got into any trouble. They are all exceedingly good looking (if she wanted the truth, she would have written this herself)!

Jerry and Nancy owned and operated Kelly's Circle Tap on West Locust Street until 1988. Nancy kept the kids and house safe while Jerry ran the Circle. She went back to teaching when her youngest child was potty-trained, somewhere around the age of 14.

She taught at Holy Family School and substitute taught. She retired from teaching after working for a number of years at Pleasant Valley High School.

Nancy was most proud of her children, Leo (Stacey), Dan (Elizabeth), Kathleen (Tom Felts), Bob (Kasey), David (Randi) and Jerry (Amanda). She exceeded at raising nice people. She loved all 14 of her grandchildren and could even name them all on occasion (Cassie, Jake, Paige, Cannon, Sully, Autumn, Trinity, Max, Sadie, Miles, Will, Henry, Kaden & Isla).

In 2012 she was proud to accept the St. Patrick's Society's "Irish Mother of the Year" award. She was a nurturing and loving person who will be missed by everyone lucky enough to have met her. She lived the last few years at the Davenport Lutheran Home where she received excellent care and help from many, but had a special bond with her friend Amber. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Jerry, her parents and her older sister Donna Rae Gunzenhauser. She was so happy to spend her final days on hospice in her son Leo's house, where she could be close to her kids and grandkids.