COLLINS, Mary Denise (Kelly)

Mary Denise Kelly was born in Geelong on the 16th of June 1947 to parents Angus and Ella Kelly.  

She was a loving wife to Pat for 53 years and they had 6 children, Jackie, Melissa, Mark, Brett, Paul (Dec), and Matthew.

Denise worked at Our Lady Help of Christians primary school as a teacher's aide.  She was also a tireless worker for the Saints Basketball Club as a committee member, coach, and supporter over many decades.  For this reason, she was made a Life member of the Saints Basketball Club for her efforts.  She was also a member of the Webbcona Bowls Club and a member of the board for Ballarat Basketball.

Denise's family describe her as not only a loving mum but an accidental comedian, trying to open a squeezy sauce packet once at the basketball in Albert Park, and it was facing the wrong way.  It squirted all over a lady's white parachute tracksuit, and then whilst apologizing to her Denise looked across and she had also sprayed the other lady beside her.  One time she had a bad back and then rolled down the driveway hill at her friends Ian and Carmel's to then get up and say wow my back is a lot better now !!!!  Or often she would be out for dinner and be telling a funny story only to have spinach or some other type of food stuck in her teeth, and the family wasn't sure if the story was funny or not, but would laugh just the same.

For 20 years Denise and her daughter Melissa ran Nibble and Natter on Sturt Street.  Nibble and Natter was the hub of funny stories, Denise would always welcome her customers with a welcoming smile, and it served the best lasagne in the world.  Going to Nibble and Natter was like going home for lunch.  If someone was having a bad day, Denise would make them feel seen and made them feel loved.  Denise touched people's lives without effort or fuss. After her time at Nibble and Natter and an already mighty fight with Cancer, she decided to hang up your tongs and that knife she used to wave around while standing in the doorway talking from the kitchen.  No Thursday was complete without a Nibble and Natter roast lunch.

A trip up to far North Queensland for the Collins family for Denise's 70th Birthday was arranged by Pat.  It took a lot of effort and perseverance to herd the bunch together.  In hindsight Denise knew that this was going to be an important holiday; one that would stick a pin in time and one day become a memory of unspoken appreciation of how lucky the family was to all be together for one last time.

After a second almighty fight with Cancer, Denise passed away in Gandarra surrounded by her family on the 27th of April 2021 at the age of 73.

The following comment appeared on Facebook after Denise passed away:

Denise was always such a warm and caring person to me from being a little kid playing basketball and then making sure I enjoyed lunch when I got older. There are those rare people in life that provide such warm interactions time and time again - and I am so deeply saddened to know we all won't be able to share in your company once more."   

Denise is buried at the Ballarat New Cemetery in Sunset Gardens Row 2 Grave 17.

Thank you to the Collins family for providing these beautiful words about their loving mother.