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Birth: 1943 Death: 2024 Anne Walsh Kelly, 81, of Boulder Creek, CA died on Thursday December 12, 2024 at Stanford Hospital from heart disease. Anne, the daughter of John Raymond Walsh and Mary Catherine Poler, was born on February 6, 1943 in Sioux City, IA. Anne was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Robert Scotten Kelly, Jr.
and grandson, Emmet Robert Keating. Anne was also preceded in death by her sister Ursula Ruth Walsh of Minneapolis, MN, brother Patrick Poler Walsh of Albuquerque, NM, sister Mary Catherine Stodola, of Crystal Lake, IL, brother Donald Raymond Walsh of Tampa, FL, Anne is survived by her sister, Rita Walsh Cavanagh of The Woodlands, TX, her son, Robert Scotten Kelly III of North Fork, CA and his wife Kathryn Gardner Kelly, son Patrick Walsh Kelly of The Woodlands, TX, and daughter Nora Elizabeth Kelly of Seattle, WA. She is also survived by her grandchildren Liam Patrick Keating of Seattle, WA and Conor Joseph Kelly and Violet Louise Kelly both of North Fork, CA.
Anne was raised in Sioux City, IA and went to high school at St. Clara Female Academy in La Crosse, WI. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in US History from Rosary College (now Dominican College) in River Forest, IL.
She later obtained a Master’s Degree from San Jose State University also in US History. Her thesis, More Than the Work of Their Hands: The Activities and Contributions of the Homesteading Women of South Dakota, 1860-1920, submitted in 1976, reflected her intense interest and research in women’s history and women’s studies. One of her great loves was reading, which led her, after raising her children past elementary school, to become an elementary school librarian at Boulder Creek Elementary School and Redwood Elementary School in Boulder Creek, CA.
She had an ongoing book discussion with her sister Rita and daughter Nora. With her deep belief in equity for all and in service to her fellow workers, she was also a leader in her local union, which was an example of another of her strong interests, politics and government. She volunteered as a poll worker in every election for over 20 years.
More recently she volunteered before elections to get out the vote and ensure all voices were heard. She once ran unsuccessfully for a school board seat and played a role in the renewal of San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA in the 1980’s. Anne was an avid sports fan, watching and rooting for most notably the San Francisco 49ers, for whom she was a season ticket holder for 20+ years.
She also loved to watch and follow the San Francisco Giants and the Nebraska Cornhuskers football and volleyball teams and just sports in general with the Paris Olympics an example of her love of sports. She particularly liked watching football with her sons Pat and Bob. She also loved to travel with trips to visit daughter Nora in Paris as some of her greatest memories.
She was a fierce matriarch until the end as she loved solving word puzzles with Conor, traveled to see Violet’s volleyball games and enjoyed journeying to Puget Sound to gather and revel with Emmet and Liam. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a worthy cause that Anne would have supported like the Alzheimer’s Association, a women’s shelter, KQED, or the NAACP. A memorial of Anne’s life will be held around Anne’s birthday in early February.
Honor with Flowers In memory of Anne Walsh Plant a Living Memorial In memory of Anne Walsh.
