In Memory of Sharon Kelly

We hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t come to this, but it is with profound sadness that we share this with friends of Sharon Kelly. Losing Sharon so prematurely is hard enough for her family to deal with, so we are raising donations to at least help with the financial implications of her loss.

Sharon was beloved by everyone who met her. Those who knew her well knew her to be a carefree soul with a feisty spirit, and with possibly the greatest laugh you ever heard. Her beautiful daughters, Nicole and Jessica, were her greatest source of pride, and they shared an inimitable bond. Sharon leaves behind her adoring husband Brian, her devoted mother Irene, and her extended family.

Sharon was a tremendously hard worker and was respected and admired by the entire Marriott community within which she worked for thirty years.

On New Year’s Eve, as 2021 came to an end, Sharon quietly slipped away and relinquished her six-year-long battle with cancer. The world’s best doctors were in awe of her resilience and her strength as she fought the dreaded disease with grace, humor, and grit. But they couldn’t possibly have understood her determination to beat cancer and live unless they had known the vast number of cherished friends that Sharon had, and the endless depth of love and affection with which she held her entire family. Sharon loved fiercely and was adored in return by so many people, and now we ask you to keep the Kelly family in your thoughts and prayers, and perhaps as your circumstances might allow, to make a donation in Sharon’s name.

True to her nature and generosity of spirit, as the grim truth made itself clear and Sharon realized that she had limited time left, she thought of others beyond herself. She shared with Brian her wish to donate a portion of any proceeds raised to The American Cancer Society, The Jacksonville Humane Society, and The Community Hospice and Palliative Care (CHPC).

In death, as in life, Sharon continues to give so much of herself to others. It is with this sentiment that we cherish her memory and honor the wonderful, brave, beautiful, and free-spirited woman that she was… who we were all so very lucky to know.