KELCO, Barbara (Schnable) Kelco, 61 years of age, of North Granby died Sunday, May 9, 2010 at Hartford Hospital. She was the widow of Frank J. Kelco. Born in Norwalk, she was the daughter of the late J. Julius and Ethel (Cohen) Schnable. Barbara graduated from the University of Connecticut receiving a B.A. Degree and a Master’s in Education. She taught in the gifted and talented program in the Granby Public School System, a program that she created. Most recently she taught 6th grade at the Welles Road School in Granby. She was a former president and treasurer of the Granby Education Association. She was also a member of the Connecticut Education Association and National Education Association. She had a passion for teaching children, meeting their individual needs, and she believed wholeheartedly that every child has a redeeming quality that she could nurture. Barbara was honored by the Granby School System at her retirement party this past Thursday evening. Over 100 of her colleagues, family and friends celebrated her nearly 40 years of teaching. Recently she developed a passion for ballroom dancing and studied and performed competitively with The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Canton. As a kidney transplant recipient, she was an active advocate of kidney research and wrote a childrens’ book, ‘Katy’s Kidney’. She leaves her sister, Hali Keeler and her husband Gerry of Groton; a niece, Emily Keeler of Seattle, WA; a close extended family and supportive and loving friends. She also leaves her beloved Labrador Retrievers, Nestle and Daisy.

Graveside services will be private. Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 4:00 PM in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave., Hartford with Rabbi Michael Pincus officiating. Following the memorial service, relatives and friends may call at the home of Sharon Langer and Matt Horowitz, 35 Auburn Rd., West Hartford. In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to The Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (pkdcure.org). For further information, directions, or to share memories of Barbara with her family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.