Linda Kelley, 60, of Avon, SD

Visitation will be Friday from 5 PM until 7 PM at the Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Chapel in Avon. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 A.M., Saturday, January 26, 2013 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Battle Creek, NE with burial in the parish cemetery.

Linda Kay Kelley, 60, passed away at her home in Avon, SD on Tuesday, January 22nd 2013.

Linda was born in Norfolk, NE on December 28th, 1952 to Leo and Elizabeth (Evert) Kirby. She was the sixth of eleven children. Her family later moved to Orange, CA where she attended Holy Family Catholic School and El Modena High. Following graduation, Linda worked as a secretary for Empire Insurance Company in Santa Ana, CA. She married her high school sweetheart, Charles Kelley, on September 10th, 1977, and the two celebrated their 35th anniversary this fall. Linda and Charles worked for many years in California before they decided to move their growing family to South Dakota. They settled in Springfield, SD, where Linda worked as a stay at home mother to her six surviving children. In Springfield, Linda was an active member of St. Vincent's Catholic Church where she served as a secretary for the Altar Society. She volunteered with the Girl Scouts when her daughters were younger and was involved with the Head Start program.

In the 1990s, Linda continued her administrative and secretarial career when she took an office position at Dakota Luggage Company in Tyndall, SD. Later, the company changed ownership several times but Linda remained and continued to manage the office. In 2006, Linda and her longtime business partner decided to purchase the business and became co-owners. Shortly thereafter, they moved the business to Avon, SD and renamed it Avon Manufacturing Company. As a manufacturer of equipment for fire and rescue operations, Linda was an advocate for local business and buying Made in the USA products.

Linda was well-known to the community and had many friends and acquaintances in the Avon and Springfield areas. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She will be remembered for her enjoyment of crossword puzzles, fishing and spending time with her family.

Linda is preceded in death by her daughter, Shauna Marie Kelley; father, Leo Kirby; her brothers: John and Gary Kirby; her sister, JoAnn (Kirby) and her husband, Andrew Kozak.

Linda is survived by her mother, Elizabeth Kirby of Battle Creek, NE; husband, Charles of Avon, SD; daughters: Colleen and husband Jim (Wright) of Iowa City, IA; Kathleen, of Coralville, IA and Bridget, of Mendota Heights, MN; and sons: Charles, of Yankton, SD; Brian, of Sioux Falls, SD; and Andrew, of Avon, SD. She is also survived by her siblings: James, Susan, Phil, Patricia, Jeannie, Brian and Diane, as well as numerous members of her extended family.