On March 14, 2019, a light went out in the world when Kelly Jo Kroker Flower, beloved wife, and daughter, passed from this world as a result of a car accident. Kelly was born in Portland, Oregon, on May 28, 1963, to her parents, Jeanette Davidson and James Fowler. Kelly was an only child and the light of her mother’s life, growing up in the Portland and Bay Areas, finally settling in Eugene where she graduated from South Eugene High School.
Always someone who wanted to learn more, Kelly attended Lane Community College, where she achieved two Associate degrees, and also completed classes at the University of Oregon in Human Services with a focus on supporting women transitioning out of the prison system. She also earned certificates with Wings Seminars and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Kelly excelled in customer service and primarily was focused on helping people during the various jobs she held throughout her life.
In addition to retail and service industry positions, Kelly especially enjoyed working alongside her mother at Jeanette’s dance studio, Musical Feet. Kelly not only served as coach and assistant director in the daily work of the studio, but she also functioned as stage manager and emcee for performances at the Hult Center not only for Musical Feet but also Contemporary Classical Ballet. Many students fondly recall how they were motivated by Kelly’s enthusiasm and her smile.
Kelly had a passion for coaching and inspiring youth and others to live better lives. Her desire to be a professional speaker and life coach was the main focus of her studies at the University of Oregon, and family, friends, and acquaintances alike experienced her willingness to listen and offer suggestions and support. Playful, mischievous, and at the same time wise, Kelly often had a twinkle in her eye, and if she let you in on the joke, you counted yourself lucky.
Kelly met the love of her life, the beautiful Pamela Kroker, to whom she proposed with love, hope, and mosquitos. They were committed in a ceremony on August 8, 2008, at Agate Beach, Oregon, and married on August 8, 2015, at Beverly Beach on the Oregon Coast. The happy couple was living in Foster with their beloved dogs, Jojo and Fiona, and their cat, Eddie Spaghetti, at the time of her death.
Kelly was a member of SGI-USA (Soka Gakkai International) Eugene Buddhist Center as well as Alcoholics Anonymous. Her warmth and wisdom will be sorely missed in both communities. Kelly is survived by her wife and mother, as well as many close relatives.
Beloved aunts include Ginny Davidson of Milwaukie, Carol Schmid Peterson of Lake Oswego and Annette (Reg) Breeze of Medford. She will be fondly remembered by cousins, Kevin Davidson of Milwaukie, Toni Ewalt of West Linn, Pam (Ken) Lehrman of Eugene, David (Jill) Schmid of West Linn, Melinda (Pat) Andrew of Lake Oswego, Scott (Juliet) Breeze of Houston, Texas, and Bret (Brenda) Breeze of Medford. Special relationships were also held with first cousins once removed, particularly Brittany (Ryan) McLean of Orange, California, Kayla Chapman of Milwaukie, Tommy and Kristin Andrew of Lake Oswego, and Ryan Schmid of West Linn, due to shared interests and geographic proximity.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2019, at the East Linn Lodge (725 S. Second Street, Lebanon, OR 97355) with a provided meal and informal conversations. A second celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at the SGI-USA Eugene Buddhist Center (72 Centennial Loop, Eugene, OR 97401) with refreshments after the ceremony. Memorial donations in memory of Kelly may be made to the Humane Society or the “Kelly Kroker Flower Memorial,” a GoFundMe account created to help the family with living expenses during this difficult time: .
AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements (www. aasum-dufour.com).
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