The Kelley Hickey Memorial Orchestra Fund

The Kelley Hickey Memorial Orchestra Fund was established by FMPA to honor the memory and accomplishments of a dear friend of the Finneytown music community who passed away from Ovarian Cancer in 2013.

Kelley played Viola and studied at Miami University and the University of Akron. She mentored many music students in the Finneytown community and beyond through private lessons (often discounted), active involvement in music programs, publishing songs with proceeds going to organizations to further music education, loaning personal instruments and more. Her knowledge of music, music theory, and love of a wide range of styles was impressive and always used to inspire and motivate.

Music defined Kelley both intellectually and spiritually. Her passion and need to share made her a teacher in the purest sense of the word. She taught her students how to play and the rest of us why to play. Her dedication, not just words but in service, demanded excellence of all who knew her. Kelley’s generous nature inspired everyone around her to greater loyalty to the music programs she loved so much and the confidence to achieve at the very highest level.

Still teaching just a few weeks before she passed away and asked why she pushed herself so hard she responded, “Because the kids have performances coming.” Things will never be the same without Kelley but the legacy of the music she inspired lives on. Along with our active support of music within our schools, the Memorial Fund can insure her passion for music continues by funding Orchestra Camp to inspire future generations.