Betty May Kelly

On the evening of April 1, 2020, the world lost a loving wife, mother, friend and “Mammam.” Betty May (Porter) Kelly passed peacefully at Kaiser Permanente Westside hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon, after a brief stay and having FaceTimed with her three children.

Betty was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, to Willis “Bill” and Florence (McCarraher) Porter. She was the oldest of 10 children, and spent many of her early years helping to raise and take care of her siblings.

After high school she went into nurses training, and after graduating was an emergency room nurse at Philadelphia General Hospital. In the early 1960s she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, to be a nurse at Queen’s Hospital.

It was in Hawaii that she met the love of her life, Kenneth Kelly. It took a few years of dating, but she broke him down and they were married in September 1963. Ken had a son, Ken Jr., from a previous marriage and she took on the role of stepmom.

In 1965, Lorraine “Lori” was born, followed by the birth of Dennis in 1968. After Dennis was born, she retired from nursing to be a full-time mom. They enjoyed annual vacations and road trips to visit family in Pennsylvania and Oregon.

They loved Oregon so much that they bought a condo on the beach in Seaside, Oregon. They would spend a half year in Hawaii, and when it got too hot in the summer, would spend the remainder of the year at the coast in Oregon.

She and Ken kept their residence in Hawaii until the late 2000s, when they moved to Seaside permanently. They were never apart, and loved attending the Warrenton Community Center lunches every week, and made many dear and lifelong friends. They were always the first ones there so they could greet everyone arriving.

Ken passed away in January 2017, and she had the love of family and friends to keep her going. Betty was loved by all, and will always be remembered for her love of family, deep faith and care of others.

Betty is survived by her children, Kenneth Jr. (Linda), Lorraine Harmon (Travis), and Dennis (Philippa); grandchildren Steven Brooks and Ariana Brooks; siblings Raymond (Marlene), Elsie Moyer (Mike), Ronald (Karen) and Richard “Buzz” (Brenda); niece Deborah Zabel (Lyle); and so many others.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Kelly Sr.; siblings Marie Hilton, Willis “Willie,” Barbara Wallace, Doris Fisher and Joan Porter.

Two days after her passing, her daughter Lori, looking out at the ocean and watching the waves from Betty’s condo, witnessed a whale, just offshore, raise its tail, slap the water and disappear into the depths. She was saying goodbye and letting us know she was in a good place, and happy to be reunited with Ken. A wonderful ending to an extraordinary life. A hui hou!

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to: Warrenton Senior Citizens Inc., 15 N.W. 17th Place, Warrenton, OR., 97146.