Kelly Jean Knelsen

Mum, Momma Bear, your life was filled with love, laughter, and lightness. Your fierce and shining light flickered and radiated from your soul for 57 years, lighting the path of everyone in it until the 6th day of September 2024. 

Kelly Jean Knelsen (nee Doerksen), born April 18,1967 was predeceased by her parents, Jake and Lois, and her brother Kevin. She is survived by her husband Peter, foster sons, Ethan and Jon-Jon; her sons Justin and Jake, daughters Jemini and Jayda; her step-children Vince (Amanda), Felecia (Jay), Chris (Tanya) and Dustin; her sister Kristi (Blair), and her sister in-laws Betty (Martin), Susie, Mary (Rudy) and Gertrude (Harry) and brother-in-law Jake; her grandchildren: Leo, Lucas, Skyler, Reese, Tytan, Kelsea (Kyle), Kenzie (Walter), Jonah, Austin, Allison, Teagan, Mack, Jorja, Paige, Sam, CJ, Jordan, Reagan, Avery, and Ty, Drayden and Declyn; great-grandchildren Peyton, Kayn, Sawyer, Cyrus, and Rei. She had a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends that became her chosen family. 

Kelly recently took a trip to Alberta and visited her Aunts Brenda (Bert), Diane (Fred), and Uncle Don (Mona), as well as her dear cousins and friends out there. Mum loved the mountains, seeing wildlife, and apparently zip-lining, as she and Peter did spontaneously this summer. 

Kelly grew up in Dufresne and Winnipeg, lived in Ste. Genevieve and Marchand, and spent weekends at the cabin in Woodridge. She spent a lot of her time picking berries, gardening, thrifting, raising every kind of animal on the farm; going to school or working while raising four kids on her own; cross-stitching, canning pickles and jams, cooking and baking, going on trail rides, and planning festive family holidays. 

Thank you to the Cancer Care doctors and those from Bethesda Regional Health Centre, especially the palliative care team who, during her final days, helped her feel comfortable at home. With heartfelt gratitude to our family who stayed by her side until the end and took special care of her, thank you. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2024, 3:00pm at Crossings Funeral Care in Steinbach, with a coffee and dainties time to follow after service.

Interment will take place at a later date.

For those unable to attend in person the family invites you to join them through livestream. 

In lieu of flowers, except, of course, white daises, please make donations to Cancer Care Manitoba. Also, if you haven’t already, please consider the opportunity to be a blood, stem-cell or organ and tissue donor; it can save a person’s life.