Kelli Suzanne Brinkley

Kelli Suzanne Brinkley, 41, of Statesville, passed away Thursday, January 7, 2016, at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Kelli was born in Iredell County on April 24, 1974, and was the daughter of Dennis William “Bill” Brinkley and Susan Thomas Francis. She was a 1992 graduate of Statesville High School, attended Mitchell College, Western Carolina University, UNC Asheville, and received her BA in Fine Arts from UNC Charlotte.  She continued her education with Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY, and with the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC. Most of her career was spent as a freelance photographer.  Early in her career she worked for Rolling Stone Magazine and later with St. John’s Photography in Charlotte.  She also worked for a time with Composite Fabrics of America as Creative Director in Hiddenite, NC.  For many years Kelli’s portraiture work was through her own company, Kelli Brinkley Photography.  Her photographs captured her interest and professional ability throughout her International travels.  Her passion and love for her craft can be summed up in her own words…” I suppose that my main motivation for taking pictures is to capture those elusive, quiet moments that are so full of stories yet so fleeting and forgotten.  For me, it’s within those seemingly quiet moments that my camera finds the truth.” She was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, Sam Brinkley and maternal grandfather, Jim Thomas. Left to cherish her memory is her dad, Bill Brinkley and his wife Jennifer and her mother, Susan Francis and her husband Bill, all of Statesville; two brothers, Samuel Thomas Brinkley of Marion, NC and Jack Isaac Brinkley of Statesville.  She is further survive by her paternal grandmother, Mary Lou Brinkley of Statesville and maternal grandmother, Pat Thomas of Hickory, NC and the love of her life, Shannon St. Clair of Statesville. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at Nicholson Funeral Home with a service of remembrance to begin at 8:00 PM in the Nicholson Funeral Home Chapel. Memorials may be made to 5th Street Ministries, 1241 5th Street, Statesville, NC 28677 or to Friends of the Animals, PO Box 3937, Mooresville, NC 28117. Online condolences can be made to the family at www.nicholsonfunerals.com and Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the family of Kelli Brinkley.