Rosalie Huske Kelly

Mrs. Rosalie Huske Kelly, of Fayetteville, died peacefully Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. She was born in Fayetteville on July 13, 1930, the middle daughter of Jean Ashcraft and William Oliver Huske. She was a graduate of Fayetteville High School, Saint Mary's Junior College in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rosalie loved people, and she loved the Fayetteville community, where she lived her entire life. Those loves were evidenced throughout her life by the countless friends she made and numerous local endeavors in which she participated.

She was a lifelong and devoted member of St. John's Episcopal Church and a member of the Fayetteville Garden Club, the Cumberland County Chapter of the Colonial Dames of America and the Cape Fear Assembly. Rosalie was a founding board member of the Junior League of Fayetteville and the Fayetteville Academy. She served as a director or trustee on the boards of the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, Wachovia Bank (Fayetteville), the Historic Fayetteville Foundation, the N.C. Museum of History Associates and the Museum of the Cape Fear Advisory Board. She was a member of the presentation committee for Fayetteville's first successful effort to be named an All-America City.

She served on Fayetteville's Historic and Scenic Sites Committee, which led to her involvement in, and leadership of, the effort to move and restore the historic Belden-Horne House, saving it from destruction. She co-chaired the Market House Restoration Committee and the Committee for Fayetteville's Bicentennial Celebration.

As Cumberland County chairman of America's 400th Anniversary Committee, Rosalie led the local contingent of a multifaceted statewide celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the first English efforts to colonize the New World. The committee's premiere celebration was the inaugural River Renaissance on the Cape Fear River, which was co-sponsored and produced by Cape Fear Regional Theatre. The initial River Renaissance comprised a theatrical presentation on a riverside stage and historic tours of the Cape Fear River. The tradition of riverside theatrical presentations has been continued annually by the theater.

With her enthusiastic interest in the Fayetteville community and its history, Rosalie volunteered as a guide for Historic Fayetteville tours. She was a frequent guest speaker on Fayetteville history at civic and governmental meetings. She also served on the supervisory committee for archeological excavation of the old Cool Spring Tavern in downtown Fayetteville, which is now part of Cross Creek Linear Park.

In 1986, she was awarded the Ruth Coltrane Cannon Cup Award, presented by North Carolina Preservation. The award is bestowed upon an individual or organization for outstanding achievement of statewide significance in historic preservation. It is considered the most prestigious award for contributions to historic preservation in North Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Richard Sterling Kelly Jr.; her parents; and her sister, Jean Huske Dodd.

She is survived by her five children, Richard Sterling Kelly III and his wife, Susan, of Greensboro, Rosalie "Robin" Huske Kelly of Fayetteville, Dr. William Huske Kelly of Fayetteville, Patricia Kelly Pinkard and her husband, Bob, of Chevy Chase, Md., and John Worthington Kelly and his wife, Jennifer, of Raleigh. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Richard Sterling Kelly IV, Fred Stafford Kelly, Susan Preston Kelly, Caroline Kelly Legg, William Scott Branson, John Worthington Kelly Jr. and Chester Noble Kelly; her sister, Patricia Huske Schaefer; her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Janet and Bob Bryan of Charlotte and Peggy and Bob Kelly of Erwin; and many nieces and nephews.

The family extends its sincerest and heartfelt gratitude to Rosalie's loving and compassionate caregivers, Theresa Jackson, Marie Melvin, Retha Toney, Sharonda McPhaul, Melanie Callahan and Phyllis McKoy; and to her longtime housekeeper, Laverne McEachern. The family gratefully thanks the staff at the The Carolina Inn at Village Green and Home Instead Senior Care for their love and support over the past five years.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011, at St. John's Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Robert M. Alves officiating. A reception will follow the service at the Kyle House.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, 302 Green St., Fayetteville, NC 28301; or to Cumberland Community Foundation, 308 Green St., Fayetteville, NC 28301.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Sullivan's Highland Funeral Service & Crematory of Fayetteville.