Well put by her 5 year old nephew, Kenzi “Kiki” Ellzey, 31, of Huntsville, joined the fairies in heaven on March 13, 2020. Kenzi was the type who never met a stranger. When asked about how she met a new friend, her response was, “Oh, I’ve been knowin’ them!” Kenzi had a heart of gold and loved the hardest of us all. As an animal lover, she volunteered at The Ark, an animal shelter in Madison County, when she was younger. Kenzi was a die-hard Auburn fan no matter how awful they played, was first in line to see the new horror movie, and was never EVER seen in public without her nails done. Kenzi, also nicknamed as “Luther Earl” by Uncle Bear, had jokes and sly comments that made us laugh for days.
Though Kenzi always seemed “okay” and like she had it all together on the surface, she fought a different battle inside. Kenzi was the youngest of her siblings who endured the struggles of being bullied in school. Being overweight and having academic difficulties were not acceptable by her peers, and in turn, Kenzi was ridiculed by classmates for years due her imperfections. She yearned for that feeling of acceptance. She would wish to be thin like the models in magazines, to be the smarter one with answers to the math questions, to be athletic like her sister, to be beautiful, to be asked out on a date, to be worth it. Years go by and she slowly became the beautiful and witty person she was meant to be. While finding her way through our messy world, drugs were finding a way to her. The addiction began like all the rest with prescription medication from surgery. It was a daily struggle for many years that was just too strong, but then here came December 2019, where Kenzi met her boyfriend, Nathan, who made her feel special and proud without any stipulations. He took her on those dates she always wished for, and although their time together was short, she finally felt worth it. Not even the unconditional amount of love and encouragement from her family and friends measured up to what he was able to give her.
When her license was renewed for the last time, Kenzi made the decision to become an organ donor. She will continue to be selfless and express her love from up above through others with her life saving organs. It was an honor to be your sissy and you will forever be remembered as a loving daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, and hero in our hearts. Kiki is survived by mother and father, Cindy and Ken Ellzey, sisters, Jennifer Neal and Emily Ellzey, great-grandmother, Lois “Meme” Grant, and her overprotective, six pound pooch, Lulu. Gone on before her was her brother, Joshua Ellzey.
Visitation will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 9:30 a.m., followed by mass at 10:30 a.m., and graveside at Maple Hill Cemetery at 11:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Arc Inc., 139 Bo Cole Road, Huntsville, AL 35806.
