 A loving wife (thrice!), mother, and "G.K." (Grandma Kelly), legendary PR executive and a leader among leaders, Kelly cut a path through life that no person could ever replicate died November 9, 2021. She's been called a "trailblazer," but that doesn't begin to describe the impact she had on the people and community around her. To truly understand the magic of Kelly, you have to know where she came from and what she built. Kelly was particularly proud of her Detroit roots, graduating from Finney High School and attending Wayne State University. After graduating from college, Kelly cut her teeth in Detroit TV on The Lou Gordon Program and other local shows. She was then drawn to public service and eventually found her way to the State of Michigan, working in both the House of Representatives and Senate as well as the Department of Commerce. Then she struck out on her own as a single mom, earned her APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) and started a fledgling public relations firm—and sparked an entire industry—at her kitchen table. That "Rossman" firm went through several iterations and changes over the years, eventually merging into what became Truscott Rossman, the statewide strategic communications firm headquartered in Detroit. In the early days, Kelly performed comedy on the side to earn extra money for her young family. She carried that irreverent sense of humor through her career. She worked day and night to build her business and in the process earned a reputation for a unique approach to public relations and a dedication to ethics and professionalism. Kelly was one of the first women allowed into the Rotary Club of Lansing, becoming a self-proclaimed "ovarian rotarian." When she was finally allowed to make her case during her introduction, she happened to be pregnant. When she took the microphone, she slipped her shoes off and declared "barefoot and pregnant, just like you always wanted us." From that day, she became a favorite of the Rotary Club. It's difficult to measure the impact Kelly had on people because it's basically immeasurable. She was always the first to support a cause or help someone in need. She did it selflessly and she did it every day. And there's not just one story that encapsulates her life and the impact she had on people—because everyone who knew her has multiple stories about her mentorship, friendship and support. Kelly shined in high-stress situations and was a buoyant life raft and a sturdy rock for her people in crisis, from her kids to her clients. She was an Athena award recipient and recognized most of her career as the most effective public relations professional among her peers. Her awards are too numerous to mention, but needless to say, everyone who knew her respected her and most absolutely loved her. But it was her family that was her pride and joy and she loved them fiercely. Her husband Dave Thompson ("Officer Dave," as she affectionately called him), came into her life and she knew she had met her match. Her kids were the center of her universe: Alex Rossman and his wife Jessica Zimbelman, the "mini-McKinneys," Connor, Teddy and Cobhan, and her stepdaughter Brittany Thompson. Her grandgirls ("GGs")—twins Arla and Zadie Rossman and Mia Thompson—would light up that smile on her face. She enjoyed time with her mom Melva (and her dad Charlie before his passing), her sister Tracy, her brother and sister-in-law Jim and Beth, her niece Sarah, and her grand-nephews Cash and Carson, as they laughed with (and at) and occasionally talked over each other. Kelly made a couple of meals really well, including her signature spaghetti carbonara, and loved a big, boisterous dinner with her blended "fam damily." She lived a life full of adventure and travel, from living in Milan as a young woman, to a service trip to India, to countless spring breaks and vacations with her family—especially trips to North Carolina and St. John Island. She spent many hours reading novels and true crime fiction on the beaches of the world and, of course, on Lake Michigan. She loved art, and in honor of her lifelong devotion to hot tea, she had collected more than 70 teapots as loud, fun and colorful as she was. She enjoyed movies, even if only as a place to take a nap, 60 Minutes, Scrabble, and People Magazine. And she loved music, especially Detroit's own Motown, and concerts—most recently planning to take the whole family to see the Wu-Tang Clan with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra before the show was postponed due to the pandemic. Kelly's life was cut short, but she didn't waste one moment. She left an indelible mark on Michigan and its people, singularly and globally. She will be remembered by those who knew her as one of the most special people ever put on this earth. |
