Judith "Judy" McKean-Kelley Jan. 27, 1958 - April 23, 2017

SEELEY LAKE - Judy passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones in Seeley Lake, Montana after a short but very courageous battle with cancer on April 23, 2017.

Judy was born in Kalispell, Mont. Jan. 27, 1958 to Frank and Gaye “Tootie” McKean and was their second child together. Judy spent most of her childhood in Missoula where she attended Sentinel High School. Her life was spent in Montana and she had lived all over the state throughout the years but settled in Seeley Lake in the early 1980s.

In 1978 Judy married Duane Freyholtz and had her daughter Willie. Then in 1983 had her son William “Beau” with the late Bill Shoupe of Seeley Lake and Stormie Rose came along in 1987 with her soulmate of 30 years, Kevin Kelley.

Judy and Kevin made a great life together and shared many happy days camping out in the Idaho Wilderness panning for gold or up on a mountain picking huckleberries, always together to the very end.

Being a mother was one of the many things she loved, always there for her children and always treated their friends like one of her own but there was a very special place in her heart for her grandchildren Taylor, Nova Kay-Lynn, Kolten and Shilo.

As a long time resident of the Seeley Lake community, Judy always loved the town and said she would not have raised her children anywhere else. She was a weekly patron of the thrift store making sure she scored a bargain on some junk.

In the 1980s she was a bartender at the High Country Bar. During that time she built many lifelong friendships and was always willing to do whatever she could to help out a friend. She always had a smile to share and her laughter would light up a room.

Judy was preceded in death by her father Frank McKean of Seeley Lake; father in-law Howard Orr of Greenough, Mont.; sister Nitta of Washington and Billie Shoupe of Seeley Lake.

Judy is survived by: her Mother Gaye McKean of Missoula; children Willie Freyholtz of Seeley Lake, William “Beau” Shoupe of Port Saint Lucie, Fla. and Stormie Kelley of Lolo Mont.; her grandchildren Taylor, Nova Kay-Lynn, Kolten and Shilo; sisters Kathy Adam of Pocatello, Idaho; Laura McKean of Missoula; Kari Ingram of Top of the World, Ariz.; brother Frank “Jay” McKean of Portland, Ore., Richard Sturgeon of Stevensville and Jerry McKean of Seeley Lake. Judy had many nieces and nephews Ashley, Lindsey, Anthony, Ted, Sarah, Toshia, Bryan, Bobby-Joe, Molly, Tara, Jayson and Cole. Mother in-law Linda Orr of Greenough, Maynard and Delores Freyholtz of Condon and so many other close friends and family, so many that I could fill a page with just names.

The family would like to extend a huge amount of gratitude for all the support and donations that were made in her name. Seeley Lake is a close community that always pulls together to help out others and that is what really makes Seeley such a wonderful town. A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. on May 3 at the Seeley Lake Community Hall.