Kathleen Donnelly

Boca Raton, Florida

Kathleen Ann “Taffy” Donnelly of Boca Raton, Florida passed away on June 25, 2016, at the age of 69. She was born on September 5, 1946, in Valparaiso, Indiana, to Bernice and Dr. Thomas Sheffield, a dentist.

Taffy attended Indiana University, earning a Bachelor’s degree and then a Master’s degree as a Reading Specialist. While at IU, she met and married her beloved husband, the late Richard Reynolds Donnelly.

She enjoyed a long career as the first children’s librarian at Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus, Indiana, and later at Pine Island Public Library in Pine Island, Florida, where she helped to launch Lee County’s annual Reading Festival. Her enthusiasm for books was unparalleled. She conveyed the power of storytelling to children through her vivacious and gregarious personality.

Taffy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister. She considered everyone she met to be a friend.

She is survived by her son, Tom Donnelly, and daughter-in-law, Stephanie. She was the proud grandmother of Gray and Finn Donnelly, whom she cherished and to whom she instilled her love of reading. Also surviving are her sister, Laurie Krieger, and many nieces and nephews.

The family requests contributions be made to Bartholomew County Public Library, Attn: Business Office, 536 Fifth Street, Columbus, IN 47201, or to Friends of Pine Island Public Library, Pine Island Public Library, 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922.

Memorial arrangements will be made at a later date.