ARLINGTON - Jill Johns Kelly, 67, passed away Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, after a long battle with cancer.

Memorial service: 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family suggests consideration of contributions to the American Cancer Society , Box 22718, Oklahoma City, Okla., 73123-1718; or the Mansfield Public Library, 106 N. Wisteria St., Mansfield, 76063.

Jill Johns Kelly was born Jan. 19, 1943, in Longview. When she was 2, her family moved to Tyler where she was raised. She attended Robert E. Lee High School, graduating in 1961. She graduated from Tyler Junior College in 1963 and married Thomas L. Kelly in 1964. Mrs. Kelly worked for numerous years for the Conroe Independent School District and loved being involved in the school libraries. She was also a favorite in the front office of the school as she greeted the many parents and teachers, always with a smile.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas L. Kelly, and her parents, Richard Alton Johns and Annie Sarah Hill Johns.

Survivors include daughter and son-in-law, Katherine and Russell Crider of Arlington; son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Rebecca Kelly of Starkville, Miss.; grandchildren, Emily and Caleb Crider and Finn and Harper Kelly; brother and sister-in-law, Dick and Jo Johns of Tyler; brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Kaye Johns of Allen; sister, Anne Johns McKnight of Gallatin, Tenn.; sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Frank Gillespie of Shenandoah; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. 

Published in Tyler Morning Telegraph on February 17, 2010