- Date Of Birth: October 10, 1964
- Date Of Death: October 8, 2016
- State: Idaho
The lamb will be their shepherd and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17
Our courageous, loving Kelly Colleen Fanning departed her Parma home October 8, 2016. Her final days, weeks, and months were spent enjoying the company of her family, numerous friends and most importantly, her three daughters, Shaelyn, Sierra, and Sheridan. Believing that life’s challenges provided opportunity for leaving a legacy for her daughters, Kelly faced her 8-year battle with cancer with grace, dignity and courage. She also believed that the silver lining in her experience with cancer has been the amazing love and support that she received from family and friends. She described them as being her source of strength, courage, and hope. She acknowledged that if love could cure cancer she would be immune to the disease.
Kelly was born in Nampa, Idaho, October 10, 1964 to Sherry and Stan Fanning. She immediately began traveling with her parents as her father was experiencing his final year of professional football. Her early education was in Surrey County, England, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Mexico City, where she developed a lifelong interest in the Mexican culture and proficiency with the language. Kelly attended junior and senior high in Caldwell, Idaho, where she was senior class president and commencement speaker in 1982.
She attended the University of Idaho and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in communicative disorders.
In 2014 Kelly was named the Idaho Nurse Practitioner of the year and that same year she was awarded the Idaho State University Distinguished Teacher. In 2015 she was involved in obtaining a 1.5 million grant to assist Idaho State University’s School of Nursing in providing health care for refugees.
In recent years Kelly was awarded a community award in Parma, Idaho. She was able to organize a summer swim team and was their coach for several years. Kelly was very involved with 4-H.
Kelly had so many interests. She had been a competitive swimmer, on the ski patrol in Alaska, a barrel racer in Arizona, and, when cancer slowed her down, she took up quilting.
Kelly was all about love. She was glad for the adventures she had and opportunities she had been given. She readily described her life as having been born to great parents who were also born to great parents, as having loved and been loved, and as blessed to travel through life with her sister, Erin, as her best friend. Kelly was so grateful for her many aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, her beloved brother-in-law Keith Radwanski, her son-in-law Lance Travis, her dear companions and caregivers Shane Harris, P T Rathbone and his family. And she is also grateful for the fathers of her children Dan Starnes whom she married in l986, and Doug Pesnell DVM, married in 2000, because without them she would not have her beloved children. Kelly considered motherhood to be the best of life’s adventures and her three daughters her greatest source of joy. She reveled in their growing sense of independence and confidence and was proud of the young ladies they have become. She was impressed by their accomplishments, maturity beyond their years, and their resilient zest of life.
Thank you Dr. Jonathan Swardloff, Patty Green, and the rest of the amazing staff at MSTI, Fruitland.
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
