Kelly Renae Ubbens

Words will never do justice to what the world lost with the passing of Kelly Renae Richards Ubbens. Kelly peacefully went to Heaven on December 6, 2020, while surrounded by family members following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelly Ubbens was born on May 1, 1977 in Parkersburg, WV, a daughter of William Henry Richards of Grantsville and the late Phyllis Richards. In life, to have known Kelly is to have loved her. Kelly is survived in death by the thousands upon thousands of students that she dedicated her life to, whose lives she made more complete, dreams she lifted, cherished with every fiber of her being, believed in with every ounce of her soul, and supported with every square inch of her heart through her undying love for them. In addition to her students and her father, Kelly is survived by her loving husband, Brett Ubbens; daughter, Ansley Joan Ubbens; miniature labradoodle, Dabney Lee Ubbens, all of Mineral Wells; sister, Becky Edwards and her husband, Bill; nephew, Jacob Edwards and his wife, Emily, and their daughter, Grace Edwards, and niece, Lakyn Edwards and her fiancé, Jacob Balser, all of Parkersburg. On the other side of Kelly’s family, she is survived by her brother-in-law Herbert Ubbens, and his wife, Mellissa; nephew, Skyler Ubbens and niece, Allie Ubbens, all of Cary, NC; and Kelly’s sister-in-law, Tara Ubbens and her fiancé, Robert Ford, of Mebane, NC. Finally, Kelly is survived by the many close friends and co-workers she loved, became the voice of reason during the toughest of their times, nurtured them in their time of need and celebrated in their shared times of triumph. Kelly will always be remembered as kind-hearted and caring towards others. As a student, Kelly became involved in various school activities such as cheerleading, Follies and AmeriCorps, all of which she held near and dear to her heart each and every day. While a mentor in AmeriCorps, Kelly fell in love with teaching students to read and decided to follow this passion as an educator. Upon graduating from Calhoun County High School, Kelly attended Wheeling Jesuit University, West Virginia University at Parkersburg and eventually Glenville State College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree while earning placement as a member of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. Glenville State College is where Kelly met her husband of twenty years. Later in life, Kelly earned a Master’s in School Counseling Degree from The University of West Alabama. One of the greatest pleasures in Kelly’s life was always helping make others become better people, so being a teacher, school counselor and school librarian gave her opportunities to fulfill this passion. Prior to Kelly’s passing, she decided to give of herself, yet again, as she donated her body for medical student use with the West Virginia University Human Gift Registry. This final act of giving of herself to others exemplifies what always made Kelly such a special person. Kelly always loved spending time with family, working with students, vacationing, shopping, reading, designing her family’s houses, and above all else, giving of herself to others any way she could. Although we mourn the passing of Kelly, we must rejoice in the fact that her life made the lives of everyone she encountered the best they could be and our World a better place for years to come. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lamberttatman.com. Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home and Crematory, south Parkersburg is honored to serve the Ubbens family.