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BELLEFONTE -- To begin this week's Centre County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners took time to honor some very committed public servants who have passed away in the last week.
"The first is Rich Kelley, who was incredibly impactful in the area of emergency services. If it involved firefighting or EMT work, he did it. He trained people on it and he was on the committee that set the policy for how things were to be done. He was always extremely helpful," said Chairman Mark Higgins.
They also noted Cathleen Brown, who was Executive Director of CentrePeace.
"(She) had decades of service to the public here in Centre County. (Cathy) did a lot of wonderful things, and finished off her career with CentrePeace... She did a marvelous job," said Higgins.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion extended condolences to the families.
"They both really impacted our county in positive ways through their community service and volunteerism," said Concepcion. "Rich Kelley served on so many of our EMS and fire companies. Really big shoes to fill in his absence. Cathy Brown, through her work at CentrePeace, has made such a positive impact on so many families in our community... working with returning citizens (who were) incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility, offering a place for them to work that was quite nearby and to learn a lot of job skills and the support that CentrePeace provides as they're returning into the community."
Commissioner Steven Dershem shared memories of interactions with Kelley and his dedication to his craft.
"From the time he was young, to the time he was coroner, even to now right up until the moments of his passing, he was involved in teaching, training and displaying his craft of saving lives. I don't think the folks in this community know how many times he was out on the road doing just that, and how many lives were saved and changed because of his commitment to volunteerism and making sure our community is a safer place," said Dershem.
He shared a memory of the last time he saw Kelley -- inside that very room discussing the county's emergency communications system. According to Dershem, Kelley was involved in every aspect of emergency services.
He also spoke of Brown, and her excellent service to the community throughout the years.
"(She) was luminary, whether she was devoting her talents to emceeing events over the years and doing all sorts of things for the community. Her service with CentrePeace is going to be missed. She was quite a moving star in that area. She did a lot of really good things for CentrePeace to make sure its mission (is fulfilled.) She was always kind and sweet. You can't say enough good things about Cathy," said Dershem.
"Some folks are just larger than life," said Dershem. "These two certainly covered that in a big way. These are two folks (that) our community, our county, our region, our country, will miss very, very much. This is our opportunity to say thank you for that, and I hope we have other opportunities to remember them and celebrate their lives here in our county."
Higgins noted the pair's wide variety of volunteer organizations, offering their condolences once more for those whose lives have been touched by Kelley and Brown.