Rosella A. Kelly, 96, a longtime Parsons resident, died at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, at Villa Theresa in O’Fallon, Mo., with her loving family by her side.

She was born in Tipton to John Baptist and Katherine Ann (Hake) Steichen. She grew up in Tipton, where she attended school and was a graduate of Tipton High School. In 1938, she graduated from St. Johns School of Nursing in Salina. As a registered nurse, she worked in St. Joseph, Mo., until she married Joseph Bernard Kelly on Nov. 4, 1941.

Following marriage, the couple moved to Parsons, where she worked as a registered nurse mainly at Mercy Hospital, assisting in the delivery of many babies. In 1981, she retired as a registered nurse from the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center.

She was a devout member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and the Daughters of Isabella. Rosella truly loved Parsons. In later years, she especially enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. Her hobbies included working puzzles, walking, gardening and listening to EWTN. 

Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Treece and her husband, Gary, of St. Charles, Mo., and Mary Regina “Jeannie” Hollenback and her husband, Michael, of Palm Coast, Fla.; eight grandchildren, Michele Adamus, Jennifer Emert, Joe Kelly, Christie Sanders, Katherine Clancy, Bridget Stevenson, Seth Hollenbeck and Caitlin Warren; nine great-grandchildren; and a brother, Al Steichen of Salina.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Kelly, on Dec. 19, 1971; two sons, Joseph Bernard Kelly Jr. and Timothy J. Kelly; a brother; and two sisters.

The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Parsons. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery in St. Paul. The rosary will be prayed at 7 p.m. Monday at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons, where the family will receive friends immediately following the rosary.

Memorials are suggested to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. These may be left at or mailed to the funeral home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, 63757.

Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com.