Kelli A. Bybee, 49, of Chillicothe, passed away at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
     Kelli was born on September 22, 1958 in Des Moines, IA, a daughter of Rex A. and Vivian (Streeper) Reese. She married Jeffery H. Bybee, Sr. on May 10, 1976 in Peoria. He survives.
     She is also survived by her father, Rex A. (Alice) Reese of Mt. Vernon, MO; mother, Vivian (Joseph) Reynolds of Chillicothe; daughters, Mandel “Mandi” Bybee of Chillicothe, Tara (Dan) Arevalo of Helotes, TX and Christina “Chrissy” Bybee of Chillicothe; son, Jeffery H. Bybee, Jr. at home; grandchildren, Kelsi Cassidy, Sabra Hardin, Kiyla and Taya Arevalo and Cyara and Cyonna Irions; sisters, Teresa Jording, Kathy (Doyle) Robinson and Jennifer Snyder, all of Pekin and Vicki Sandoval of East Peoria; brothers, Gary Reese of Springfield, MO and Joseph (Norae) Reynolds of Kalamazoo, MI; and mother-in-law, Helen Bybee of Chillicothe.
     Kelli had so much love to give that she extended her home to give children the greatest gift of all, a mother’s love. Kristen Randall, Ernie and Shelly Van Dyke, Dalia and Danyika Johnson, along with many other children, joined the Bybee family and entered Kelli’s heart.
     Kelli was preceded in death by her brother, Daniel Matthew Reese, and father-in-law, Robert A. Bybee.
     Kelli was a graduate of the Wilford Academy of Cosmetology in Chicago. She was employed in quality control for F.P. Webkote, Inc. in Peoria and retired in 1998. She was a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Chillicothe.
     Kelli enjoyed gardening, reading, crocheting and scuba diving. She also enjoyed collecting hummingbirds, Home Interiors, butterflies, angels and decorative plates. She liked listening to all kinds of music, especially Country, but “Miracles”, by Jefferson Starship, was her favorite song.
     She loved cheering for the Chicago Bulls, her son Jeffery’s wrestling team and Chrissy’s softball team. Kelli loved spending time at home or anywhere her husband and family were. Holidays, especially Christmas and her wedding anniversary, were her favorite times.
     Kelli’s family is proud of her ability to overcome obstacles, her enormous heart, her ability to love unconditionally and the job she did at creating and raising her family. She was very family oriented and always knew how to make people smile and bring people together.
     Kelli had a tremendous faith in God and was a beautiful, strong, smart, patient, fearless, easy-going and selfless woman. She was an amazing wife, mother, foster parent, Ma Ma, sister, daughter and role model.
     Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at her church, with the Rev. Steven Mall officiating. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the services at the church. Interment will be held at Swan Lake Memory Gardens in Peoria. Memorial contributions may be made to the Jeffery H. Bybee, Jr. Education Fund at South Side Bank in Peoria.
     Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Clary Funeral Consultants in Peoria.