Kelly Strong

On February 27, 2026 Kelly Strong went in search of the Ultimate Powder Day; and who can blame him, he totally deserves it after nearly 72 years of making the world a better place for everyone he met.

Kelly was born in Richland, Washington to Grant and Deane Strong, the second of five children. He spent his youth with a local pack of friends who eventually joined him in a series of many death defying adventures! Their adventures were so extreme that Kelly was thrown a “Congratulations you made it to 21!” party for his 21st birthday; at which point he accidentally caught his hair on fire with the candles and skirted death once again. Kelly lived his life one adventure at a time.

After surviving his late teens, Kelly served a an LDS mission in North Carolina. Kelly attended BYU during which time he met his match on a blind date. Despite swearing he would never marry a woman with red hair or a woman who skied (she would slow him down, obviously!) Teri turned out to be the perfect woman for him, a redhead who could ski right by his side and match his zest for adventure. It was a match made on skis! Kelly proposed to Teri in a Smith’s parking lot with a bottle of perfume. (All his money was probably spent on ski passes!) Kelly and Teri were married in the Logan Temple on July 31, 1979 and proceeded to create a life together that included 4 kids and many family-friendly adventures!

Kelly spent over 30 years working at ATK Thiokol; his kids always said he was a Rocket Scientist because none of them understood what he actually did there. Later he spent multiple years as a Winter & Water Sports Expert at Al’s Sporting Goods.

Kelly was a devoted member of the LDS church where he served many roles including bishoprics of both family and student wards. He also added an extra level of adventure to all the youth programs he helped with. Kelly was an avid disciple of Christ and shared his faith in many ways including living as a Christlike example, and in performing acts of service whenever he found an opportunity!

Kelly’s life included a nearly equal passion for service as he did for adventure. While we can’t list every way he served those in his life; we can list many of the adventures he enjoyed over the years!
• Skiing
• Ski Patrol (Kelly was a volunteer for over 25 years)
• Mountain Biking
• Cycling
• Hiking and Backpacking
• Camping
• Skate Skiing
• Rock Climbing
• Waterskiing
• Windsurfing
• Scuba Diving
• Sky Diving
• Motorcycling
• Spelunking

Aside from adventures, Kelly also loved:
• His Wife, Teri
• His Kids
• Grandkids
• Tools
• Chips & Salsa
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Reading Owners Manuals
• Hi Tech Electronics
• Flashlights
• Skis (he had 7 pairs!)
• Convoluted Audio Visual Setups
• Creating dangerous toys for the grandkids (swords, bow and arrows, rockets)
• Making breakfast on Saturday mornings

Kelly lived fearlessly and loved fiercely, he will be missed.

Kelly is survived by his wife, Teri Strong and his four children; Traci Strong, Portland, OR; Amy Simmonds (Andrew), River Heights, UT; Nicholas Strong (Sierrah), New Tazewell, TN; Jeremy Strong, Lehi, UT.
He is also survived by his siblings; Sherry Peterson, Mindy Wright, Layne Strong, Graydon Strong. He had 10 wonderful grandchildren; Corban, Jackson, Cecily, Payton, Simon, Jude, Grant, Oliver, Lily and Raina.

Kelly was preceded in death by his father Grant Strong; and his mother Deane Strong.

In honor of Kelly’s absolute love for outdoor adventures, in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Common Ground. Common Ground, is an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for outdoor adventure for youths and adults with disabilities.

https://cgadventures.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/51866/Default.aspx
To learn more about Common Ground, please visit https://cgadventures.org

Click this link to view additional details about Kelly's Services: https://my.gather.app/remember/kelly-strong