Kellee Ilee Kirksey

Kellee Ilee (“Keki”) Kirksey was born August 18, 1971 to Walter Julius and Joan Elmus (Williams) Kirksey at Beale Air Force Base, California.   She was the baby girl and youngest of four children.  She spent her early years growing up in Olivehurst, California (near Marysville), and later moved to Sacramento at the age of 3, where she attended Frontier Elementary School, Foothill Farms Junior High School, and went on to graduate from Foothill High School in 1989.  She played volleyball in high school, and participated in track and field.    Because Kellee was a very bright student, she easily excelled in school and loved to learn.   Prior to graduation from high school, Kellee’s intention and ambitions had her focused on the medical profession and becoming a pediatrician.   Fate, however, took her in another direction, and she successfully graduated from nursing school at the top of her class, becoming a Certified Medical Assistant, and later a Licensed Vocational Nurse.   In utilizing her acquired skills, Kellee worked at Eskaton Skilled Nursing Facility in Fair Oaks, California for several years.  Thereafter, Kellee became a customer representative at HealthNet of California, before finding her niche with the State of California, Department of Motor Vehicles as a Motor Vehicle Representative, where she worked for well over 13 years.   Kellee was a beautiful, loving mother, blessed with two handsome sons and two beautiful daughters, all of whom were devoted to their mother immensely.   Her children were her pride and joy, and she basked in the success of their accomplishments.   Although Kellee was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at a very young age, and battled with this disease throughout her lifetime, it never stopped her from progressing forward in life.  Anyone who knew Kellee KNEW that she had the mind of a dedicated businesswoman, always on the “grind,” looking for new business ventures and entrepreneurships.  Basically, Kellee was a TRUE “hustler” who always had innovative ideas running through her ingenious mind, just like her maternal grandmother, Eddie Mae Phillips-Williams.   Kellee was very artistic and had a mindset for the art of “taking care of one’s own self.”  She developed body care lotions, soaps, oils, and candles, which led to the opening of her first small business, “KeKi’s Boutique” in Del Paso Heights, California, where she also sold clothing, accessories, hair care, purses and jewelry.    Throughout her lifetime, Kellee touched the hearts and lives of many people.  She was very outgoing, loving and a dedicated daughter, mother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, niece, cousin and friend.  In addition to being strong, caring, and ambitious, Kellee truly loved her family and many friends that she met throughout her lifetime, and believed all of her cousins to be her “brothers” and “sisters” instead of parts of an extended family.  Not only was Kellee hard-working and joyful, she also loved to read, travel, dance, listen to music and enjoy the company of others.   More importantly, Kellee was a faithful servant of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and was baptized at New Covenant Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor William Bibb.   Her other church affiliations included Liberty Towers Church of the Nazarene (Sacramento, California), McClellan Chapel (McClellan Air Force Base, California), and First Baptist Church of North Highlands (California).    Kellee was preceded in death by her father, Walter Kirksey, and her oldest brother, Kerry Kirksey.  She is survived and extremely missed by her loving mother, Joan Kirksey (Sacramento, California); loving children, Keenan Kirksey, Kaylin Kirksey, Keitreice Kirksey, and Kobe Kirksey (all of Sacramento, California); granddaughter Keelie Kirksey (Sacramento, California); brother Keith Kirksey (Sacramento, CA); sister Karen Kirksey Smith (Gregory Smith, Sacramento, California); niece Kelsie Kirksey (Coconut Creek, Florida); nephew Kaiden Kirksey (Sacramento, California); sister-in-law Juliet Kirksey (Antelope, California); beloved aunts and uncle, Rebecca Lee-Williams (Carmichael, California), Rilla McGlasker (Mobile, Alabama), Martha Williams (Savannah, Georgia), and Howard Kirksey (Geraldine Kirksey, Orlando, Florida); and a huge host of cousins, relatives, and friends.