Elizabeth Williams Kelly

August 25, 2023, Elizabeth “Liz” Williams Kelly, 78, of Cape Vincent, NY, passed away peacefully at home in the village she loved. Liz resided in Cape Vincent for the past 20 years in retirement. She was head of the Art Department of the Utica Public School District where she taught art at schools throughout the district for many years. For a period during that time, she served as an official in the Utica Teachers’  Association. While in Utica, Liz enjoyed an appointment at Munson (formerly Munson Williams Proctor Institute) and she was active in the Junior League. Liz was an accomplished water color artist with a keen eye for composition and design.

Upon retiring to Cape Vincent, where she spent her childhood, Liz became very involved in the arts community and served to strengthen its place in the community. She enjoyed judging art competitions at Cape Vincent Central School and she took great pride in helping young artists see their talent and potential. With a group, she wrote the initial grant request that seeded the Cape Vincent Arts Council. She was instrumental in bringing the popular Concerts on the Green Program and the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition for Young People (The Chopin Competition). She was a founding member of Poets and Writers’ INK and the Breakwater Gallery, an institution that was near and dear to her heart.

Liz was a voracious reader and an active member of the Cape Vincent Community Library and a member of the Cape Vincent Friends of the Library. She had a quick wit and a great sense of humor. She graduated from Cape Vincent Central School and had a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

Liz was predeceased by her parents Samuel “Sam” Guy Williams, Jr., Elizabeth “Betty” (Stoel), and her Brother, Samuel “Sam” Guy Williams, III.  She was beloved by stepchildren from her marriage to James “Jim” Kelly who survive her: Julienne Dean (Jeffrey) of Oswego, NY, Martin Kelly (Mary) of North Andover, MA, Marguerite Geiss (Gerald) of Syracuse, NY, and their children, Michael Castro of Fort Lauderdale, FL, James “Jim” Fitzsimmons of Hollywood,  FL, John “Jack” Kelly of New York, NY, Stephen Kelly of Chicago, IL, and three great grandchildren.

A celebration of her life is being planned for a later date to be determined.

Donations in her name to the Cape Vincent Arts Council are welcomed. (CVAC, P.O. Box 848, Cape Vincent, NY 13618)

Arrangements have been entrusted to Cleveland Funeral Home of Cape Vincent, NY.

Online condolences can be made at www.clevelandfhinc.com.

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