Kelly Ryan

    I first met Kelly at the Hardee's in aberdeen.... she was a small framed woman with blonde hair to her waist.
She was to me anyway intimidating.... but once you got to know her she was pretty easy going. I learned how to
do my job at Hardee's from Kelly. Her and I would sit and have conversation after conversation about our kids.. and how sucky
our sex lives were. And looking back she and I shared alot of the same views on men, kids, work, and life. I guess her and I got close when the guy I was dating
at the time had a stroke. She came up that night and told me if I needed to talk that she was there, that made me feel so good.

  Her and I drank alot of Bud Lite... over different conversations, laughed over the craziest things.. Like the shop her and I were gonna open
that would supply or cator to the dancers in town .... you know selling costumes and things of that nature.
  At work Kelly was a hard ass.. there were employees and patrons who didnt like her. I found it to be that if you did your job and did it right she didnt have a problem with you.
You were getting paid to do a job not to dink around. I can remember walking in on a Sunday afternoon at 6pm and her saying " I am so glad to see you..someone with a brain is here."
I can also remember throwing a Hot Ham and Cheese at her one day for the hung bag contest we were having...... Or hitting her in the head with the door while she was sweeping the floor.
Or I think the funniest of them all we were in the middle of a rush and her and I were standing at teh fry station.. and she grabbed my chest!!!! I looked at her with the most shocked look on my face and all she could do was say
"OH my god I cant believe I did that!!!!!!!!!" I was like neither can I?? And she came back with "I just wanted to cop a feel" we laughed for days and days...

  And Taryn.. that was her pride and joy.. her lil T-bird. Taryn meant the world to Kel. And rightly so what mother doesnt feel that for her children.

  I guess the reason why I am writing this... Is this time last year .. (it being October 31, 2002) I was on the phone with Kelly ... we were tallking about what Taryn got for candy and what we were gonna do for my birthday. But little did I or anyone else know
that it would be the last time I would talk to her. Because you see on November 1st 2001 Patrick J Thielsen went to Kelly's house and took her life. Kelly had told me that Pat was doing some work on her house.. and Kelly being the trusting soul she was never thought bad of him. I having known Pat for many years should have told Kelly that he was bad news ( not like she would have listened).
My roommate at the time was one of the last people to speak to Kelly on that fateful day. They were to have gone shopping but my roommate had a headache so they didnt. I was awaken from a sound sleep the screams and crys of my roommate.
Walking out to see what was the matter I went into my roommates room.... asked her what was wrong... and she simply replied "Kelly's dead"!!
I was not sure what she meant so I asked "Kelly who and what do you mean she is dead?" She said "Our Kelly and she is was found in her house dead they think she was shot or stabbed!" I said "Your kidding right??"
And my roommate looked at me and said "Janna would I be acting like this if I was joking!" all feeling left my body I stumbled back down the hall to my room closed the door and sat on the edge of my bed. I closed my eyes
and all I could see was a basement, a sliver of light, and a man standing in the light with no shirt on.... but it was like I was floating around him.. I could see who it was. It was Patrick J. Thielsen.
I grabbed the phone called a few friends to let them know if they didnt already.

  I called my mom and my brother that night crying my eyes out not wanting to believe this was true. A friend and I drove by her house and you couldnt get close to it they had it taped off lights flashing men in suits walking around. That was the hardest week for me I think I have ever gone through.I got off work on the 5th at 4am me and my friend Michele stayed up to get ready for her funeral.
I had not gone to the funeral home to see Kelly.. I couldnt I thought if I keep telling myself she is on vacation then I wont have to admit she is really gone. We all walked into the funeral hom signed the guest book.... my friend Danielle, me, and Michele.
My roommate was beside us as well... as we made our way to the room where she was my knees started going weak...I told them I cant do this.... as I saw the bottom of her blue casket. The room was filled with flowers, and things from Kel's house.
Her Bronco's blanket was draped over the lid of her casket, Taryn had drawn pictures for her mommy. Her Hardee's uniform was draped on a chair, her Harley pillow and her NHRA bear was near by as well.

  We walked up to the casket... my whole body trembled as I stood there looking down at my best friend lying there in a pale blue sweater looking as though she was gonna cry. It didnt look like Kelly.. and I am not really sure to this day who it looked like.
But the woman in that casket looked like the last few hours of her life were not pleasent. We went to the funeral service... and all I could do was cry and think Why? Why Kelly? And in my heart I know why.... it is my belief that Pat threatened to hurt Taryn if Kelly told of what he did that day.
Kelly being the fiesty woman she was fought back. And for that I am grateful. As we went to the cemetary I stood by Kel's casket and I told her I was sorry for not telling her what kind of person Pat was. That she meant so much to me and that I was going to miss her so much.
Kelly's dad had walked up to my roommate and I and hugged us both.. he said "Girls you dont have to look so sad it's over." And I thought to myself... you just buried your daughter how can you say its over.

  We left that cemetary and I went home to deal with loads of feelings I was not sure how to deal with. And I still do not know how to today. But the reason I wrote this is to keep Kelly's memory alive. She may be gone but she is not forgotten.

  And as far as Patrick J. Thielsen.. well he has a trial for a rape that happened before Kelly died on teh 12th of November. And he will be tried seperatly for murdering Kelly. The state of South Dakota is seeking the death penalty for him. And I believe he deserves to die. But they claim it is unconstituional to put him to death.
But then again I am pretty sure he didnt ask if he could rape, strangle, stab, and rupture Kelly's liver either.

  Thank You for taking the time to read this. And Kel I am sure you know you are missed and loved very much. And every year on my birthday I think about you.



For Kelly L. Ryan

August 4th 1974 - November 1st 2001

R.I.P Kelly