Jacqueline E. Kelsay

Jacki Kelsay, a longtime resident of Westland, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2025 at the age of 93.

Jacki was born on June 9, 1932 in Kansas City, Missouri to John and Mary Jewett.  The family moved to Detroit, Michigan when Jacki was a child.  She was a student at Northwestern High School in Detroit when she met Richard Kelsay whom she married in March of 1951.  Richard and Jacki moved to Westland in 1958 and raised their family there.  Jacki was a beloved friend and neighbor and active in her new community, initiating a babysitting club with other moms, organizing neighborhood garage sales and backyard carnivals for the children in the area.  She began working for the St. Vincent Sarah Fisher Home for Children in the early 70’s and returned to school to earn her Associate’s Degree in Early Child Development from Schoolcraft College.  She was a firm believer in the importance of education, and after she retired, she volunteered with St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center as a tutor for children.  She was an avid reader and encouraged the love of reading in her children and grandchildren.

Jacki was very creative and enjoyed painting, knitting, quilting, card making, and scrapbooking.  She loved music and played the piano.  She loved cats and was never without one.   But Jacki’s two greatest passions were her family and her faith.

Jacki was a longtime and active member of Newburg United Methodist Church.  She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  She loved spending time with family and worked hard to make each member feel special and loved.

Jacki was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Jewett, one nephew, and her husband Richard Kelsay.  She is survived by her children, Karen (Walter) Hansz, Richard (Mikki) Kelsay, Gail (Bill) Borgerding, Susan (David) Freeman and Kim Newman, 17 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, her sister, Mary Jane Mervin, five nieces and one nephew.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, August 13 from 10 to 11 am at Newburg United Methodist Church, 36500 Ann Arbor Trail, Livonia, Michigan, with a memorial service immediately following.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Richard and Jacki Kelsay Memorial Scholarship Fund at Newburg United Methodist Church or to Saint Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center (https://www.svsfcenter.org/donate/), two causes that had great meaning to Jacki.