Kellie Gunter

Kellie Kay Gunter, 52, of St. Joseph, passed away February 19, 2020 after a brief bout with stage 4 cancer.  A memorial service will be held at 6:00pm on Thursday, February 27 at Grace Evangelical Church, 5103 S. 50th Street, St. Joseph.  Inurnment will take place at a later date at Fisher Cemetery in Preston, Missouri.  Memorial contributions in Kellie’s name may be made to the church.

Kellie was born on March 4, 1967 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Horace Edward Gunter and Patricia Ann (McDow).  She attended several different schools throughout Missouri and graduated from Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas.  Kellie and her family later moved to Nemo, Missouri.  After her mother passed away in 2010, Kellie moved to Plattsburg, Missouri to live with her father and step-mother, and a year later she moved to Choices of St. Joseph group home .  After Kellie became involved with the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the director of the foundation, Glynda King, realized that she and Kellie had been classmates in the second grade in Kirksville, Missouri.  Delighted by this coincidence, Kellie and Glynda made annual road trips to Kirksville to have lunch with their second grade teacher.

While living in St. Joseph, Kellie became involved in many community activities:  she delivered Meals on Wheels, was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, was a member of the Special Olympics baseball team (with whom she played tournaments in Springfield and Jefferson City), and had earned several belts in Karate.  Kellie was actively involved in Grace Evangelical Church, where she was baptized in November of 2012.

Kellie was preceded in death by her mother and step-father, Patricia and Pat Edge.  She is survived by her fiancé, Jeff Bollin; father and stepmother, Edward and Ginny Gunter; her sister, Jamie Payne Westfall (husband, Jim); stepbrothers:  Michael Shanks (wife, Lesia), Jeff Shanks, and Mike Edge; stepsister, Shelly Blakely; grandmother, Iona Fisher; as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, extended family and friends.