Deloris Ann Jennings
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Deloris Ann (Kelly) Jennings (Dee or Dee Dee), age 60, passed away suddenly Nov 17, 2021. She was born in Albany, NY on June 19, 1961, the second child of Francis J. Kelly III, M.D. and Deloris L. Kelly. Her Father's career took her to Ellsworth AFB, SD and then to Bozeman, MT in 1966. She attended Irving and Emerson schools in Bozeman. The family moved briefly to the Bay Area of California, before going onto Fairbanks, AK. Deloris graduated with the class of 1979 from West Valley High School in Fairbanks. She honed her cooking skills at Hutchison Career Center in Fairbanks. She married, lived and worked in Fairbanks until 2005, when she returned to California with her children. In 2018, she returned home to Bozeman and resided at the Legion Villa, where she made many friends, until her passing.
Dee learned her love of nature from her parents and the experience of living on the family ranch, where she loved to ramble and explore as a child. Her interest and talent in cooking came from her Grandmother Kelly. Her visual artistic sense and creativity came from her mother. The gift of compassion for others came from both her parents. It was during her teenage years that she learned to play the mandolin without formal instruction and sang in the high school choir. She enjoyed collecting rocks, which started when she was a small child growing up on the ranch and had a talent for imaginative writing. She found a rewarding and meaningful career working as a caregiver in Fairbanks and continued that work until her own disability forced her retirement. Her physical ailments were very challenging which she tried bravely to cope with. Although she is missed deeply by her family and friends, she is no longer in pain, and is now with God and family who have left the earthly world before her.
Deloris loved her children with all her heart. She taught them to be loving and caring people and shared her gifts and her interests with her children.
She is survived by her children, Micheal Allen Jennings, Jr. of Cedarville, CA., and Margaret Kathryn Jennings of Bozeman; her mother, Deloris L. Kelly of Bozeman; sisters, Kathryn L. Kelly (Bob Judd) and Margaret M. Kelly of Bozeman; brothers, Francis J. Kelly IV (Sheila), Tory N. Kelly of Wasilla and Palmer, AK; and sister, Teresa C. Kelly of Fairbanks, AK, along with six nieces and nephews in Alaska. She was preceded in death by her husband, Micheal Allen Jennings, Sr, her father, Dr. Francis J. Kelly, and her younger brother, Michael Bernard Kelly.
A memorial service will be held at Dokken Nelson Funeral Service on December 4th at 11:00 AM. Masks will be required. She will be laid to rest in a private service to follow. If friends and family wish to honor her memory, please consider making a donation to Reach, Inc. of Bozeman.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com