Kelly Ray Tate

With the biggest heart of anyone you know, Kelly Ray Tate was a person that never knew a stranger. It was easy for her to strike up a conversation and become immediate friends with someone she just ran into while out and about. Kelly was a giver and lived for her family. She was a wonderful daughter, granddaughter, wife, mom, sister, aunt and friend. She was very caring, kind and creative. She had that "something" about her that drew you to her. Even though she was very much into fashion and being a classy diva, Kelly also knew how to fix anything she put her mind to; from electrical wiring, rebuilding engines or installing cold air induction into a Mustang, she could do it.

Kelly's story began in 1972, the year that the last of the US ground troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, HBO launched in the US as the first subscription cable service, digital watches were introduced, the first scientific hand-held calculator was created and, Atari released PONG. Born September 28, 1972 in Columbia City, Indiana, she was the oldest child. Her mom, Denise Hart married Richard "Rick" A. Wysong and she grew up in Noble County along with her younger sisters, Amy and Jody and little brother, Ricky.

Her parents had her try out softball, twirling, playing the piano and flute, but those actives did not fit into what she wanted. She loved singing in the choir and participating in theater as she attended Central Noble High School. Her favorite class was home economics, where she mastered the sewing part more than the cooking part. She was known by her classmates as being ahead of her time with fashion. It was not uncommon for her to make clothes for herself or even dress up her youngest sister, Jody with clothing she made. Kelly created many fashionable outfits and was proud that she made her own prom dress and graduation outfit.

After she graduated from Central Noble High School, Kelly attended International Business College. She eventually moved down to Nashville, Tennessee where her sister Amy was living and met a wonderful guy and fell in love with him. She would go to marry the man of her dreams, Joseph A. Tate, IV on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2005 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. On that day, she not only became a wife, but she became a mother and another daughter to two wonderful ladies that she would do anything for.

In 2013, they moved to the Washington D.C. area. Even though Kelly was away from her family in mileage, she was never too far away from them because she would talk to everyone on a daily basis by going down the contacts in her phone. She very much loved her family and was very close to her grandparents and had a very special bond with them. To her nieces and nephews that she adored, she was "Aunt Kiki" to them.

She enjoyed her road trips to visit family back in Indiana and also visiting her mom in the winter months in Florida. These road trips though always took longer than what it could have since she liked to stop at the Walmart's along the route she was going! She would always tell her family and friends, "just meet me at Walmart." On these shopping adventures, it was not uncommon for it to last a while as she would run into strangers and help them pick out items in the clothing department and learn their life stories. She truly was a caregiver, not only to her family but to total strangers. Kelly had a heart of gold.
On the evening of Wednesday, March 28, 2018, the lives of Kelly family members changed forever with the sad news that she passed away unexpectedly at her home. She will be deeply missed by everyone she touched.

Survivors include her husband, Joseph Tate, of Germantown, Maryland; mother, Denise (Mike) Ritchison, of Decatur, Indiana; father, Rick (Katie) Wysong, of Albion, Indiana; daughter, Malisha Tate, of Germantown, Maryland; sister, Amy (Malachy) Mathews, of Drogheda, Ireland; sister, Jody (Chad) Bolinger, of Albion, Indiana; brother, Rick (Christie) Wysong, of Avilla, Indiana; brother, Troy (Kandis Gerth) Ritchison, of Seymour, Indiana; sister, Misti (Tony) Geppi, of Seymour, Indiana; brother, Matthew Maples, of Indianapolis, Indiana; grandparents, Gailen and Ada Hart, of Labelle, Florida and Betty Ritchison, of Bedford, Indiana; mother-in-law, Lucile Tate, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Allen "Bud" and Helen "Joan" Wysong and granddaughters, Devani Tate and Persephone Taylor.

Visitation is 3-8 p.m. Friday, April 6, 2018 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, at the funeral home. Pastor Mo Hodge of The Bridge Community Church will be officiating. Burial will follow at Christian Chapel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Kelly's honor to the American Cancer Society for cancer research. https://donate3.cancer.org/?lang=en&_ga=2.138758453.760569904.1522768563-1638977570.1522768563