OBITUARIES

In Loving Memory of Mattie M. Kelsey
Mattie M. Kelsey, 91, slipped peacefully from this life to join her heavenly family on May 17, 2025, dying of natural causes at Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Born on September 1, 1933 in Milledgeville, Georgia, to the late Mr. Early Kelsey and Mrs. Mattie S. Morris, Mattie M. Kelsey dedicated her life to education and community service. She was a beloved sister, educator, Soror, advocate, aunt and friend, touching countless lives through her unwavering commitment to learning and service.

Ms. Kelsey cherished her early education in Milledgeville and often spoke of the teachers who inspired her. From a young age, she knew she was meant to teach, declaring, "I never wanted to be anything else but a teacher." She pursued this passion at Alabama A. & M. University, where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Education and earned recognition in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. She completed her advanced studies at Atlanta University, Teachers' College of Columbia University, the University of Syracuse, and the State University at New Paltz, shaping herself into a lifelong learner and educator.

Her teaching career began in Georgia, and although she briefly explored opportunities outside the classroom, she returned to teaching at Wassaic Developmental Center in Armenia New York, where she devoted 28 years to serving students with learning disabilities until her retirement. This work brought her to Poughkeepsie and subsequently to Pleasant Valley where she owned a home until 2016 when she moved to Wingate at Duchess where she was lovingly cared for during the last ten years of her life.

Reflecting on her career, Ms. Kelsey said, "You must have a special kind of love to work with SPECIAL PEOPLE, and people with learning disabilities are, indeed, very SPECIAL PEOPLE." This unwavering belief in the potential of every individual guided her life's work, leaving a legacy of compassion, strength, and dedication.

Beyond her professional career, Ms. Kelsey was devoted to community service. She was a Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., playing a pivotal role in the Mid-Hudson Valley Alumnae Chapter serving as Chapter President, Chaplain, and Parliamentarian, among other positions. Under her presidency, she initiated the senior citizen’s project in Poughkeepsie.

Mattie’s faith was the cornerstone of her life. As an active member of Smith Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Poughkeepsie; she served as a trustee, chair of the 150th Anniversary Journal Committee and various other roles. Singing in the choir brought her the greatest joy.

Ms. Kelsey was survived by her beloved sister Lillie Solomon who died on May 20 in Savannah, Georgia. She is mourned as a loving aunt by her nephew, the Honorable Herbie L. Solomon of Albany, Georgia, nieces Petronia Paley of New York City, Margaret S Inge of Kingston, NY, Jacqueline and Oscar Thornton of Baltimore, MD, Sadie Lee of Charlotte, North Carolina and her extended family. Mattie is reunited in peace with her late siblings, Gertrude, James and John and lifelong friend Florence Johnson.

Ms. Kelsey will be interred in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery with a private service; a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Her memory lives on in the lives she touched, the students she inspired, and the communities she strengthened. She will be dearly missed and never forgotten.