On June 4, 2024 a family gathering of some 40 guests met in the Five West Private Dining Room to celebrate the life of Kelly Jean Trainor.  Though the event was scheduled from 5:00pm – 8:00pm, the celebration actually began early and it was close to 10:00pm when we declared the event completed.  It was hard to leave.  Good food, great conversations, some tears, lots of smiles, laughter and hugs.  

The celebration had 4 unique buttons (Badges) offered. 2 of them were text-based. One had her name written, and another had a phrase that matched her well. This phrase was written by the man that knew her best and loved her the most, her husband and friend Doug Trainor. The other two were picture based. The first was a photo of her at Monument Valley. It was a favorite photo of hers. She enjoyed showing it off. (Forest Gump fans will recognize the scenery) The second button was a photo of her that focused on her beautiful face complimentary with her kind eyes and happy smile. You can see the buttons (Badges) at the bottom of the page.

The celebration also had memory cards where people could write their favorite memories they had with her. These cards had designs based on the pueblo patterns that she often decorated her house with. We collected these memories and placed them on this site. (Please see the Memories page.) This was created with the intention of sharing it, so we can read other funny stories, and other memories of her that they may of missed out on. Just another way to be able to celebrate our time with her.

We sincerely thank everyone for being there and making this evening so special.  It was a perfect way to “Remember Kelly”.   

There were many funny moments during the celebration. This page would go on too long if we shared every funny moment. So, we’ll share some of the highlights of some of these moments.

Andrew’s accents and Bodhi’s inadvertent kick

Debbie plate in hand with snacks walked over to join a conversation between Doug and Andrew the born and raised English gentlemen. She pointed out Andrews nice sounding accent. Which caused him to display his wide arrangement of American accents that he nailed down. During these unique impressions, his nine month old (named Bodhi Kai) started to swing his limbs. During this brief display of his ability to swing his limbs, his little foot kicked the plate of snacks right out of her hands!

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Joe Morris and his big scare

Despite the event technically starting at 5:00 pm. There were people there before the official start time. Joe Morris the Catering & Events Manager, who was extremely kind and helpful during this process, lit up the fuel cans used to keep the food warm. There was a loud boom from the corner of the room as one of the cans exploded. It caused the people who showed up early to jump up in the air. As did Joe. After a few minutes of silence, there were some nervous chuckles which built up into bright laughter.

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Hannah’s and Isaiah’s Cards

While there were many cards for people to write as many memories as they’d like. Two small children decided they wanted to take part. Ashley Marin’s little girl named Hannah and Brittany Zawadski’s little boy named Isaiah, grabbed a card and got to work.

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Servers Kind Words

Once the celebration was over, and a few of us were cleaning up. The server who’s name was Liz came in and told Doug how she had seen bits and pieces of the slideshow. She said she was touched and could tell how amazing of a woman Kelly was. This woman had never met Kelly, but by seeing her smiling face and silly photos, was able to tell the kind of person that she was. Enough to the point where she said it out loud. It’s one thing to think something but it is another to actually go and say it outloud. Kelly had the effect on people. And even after her passing was still making friends and spreading her joy.

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Memory Sharing

One of the best parts of the event was the ability to watch the slideshow with good food and close friends. A single photo could spark a different memory, whether it be due to the location, article of clothing, smile, pose, or item in the background. It was beautiful to be able to share these memories with each other. It brought tears, cheers and laughs. Sometimes all at once. Please check out the slideshow created by Doug Trainor. It is a wonderful way to see a snapshot of part of her life. But part of her life that made her happy. You’ll be sure that every photo has her signature smile, except for the one where she is defending her fry bread.

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