Kelly Rae Harkins

Kelly Rae (Campbell) Harkins, age 54, passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness on the morning of January 7, 2026, in Gilbert, Arizona.

Kelly grew up in the Chicagoland area and attended Western Illinois University. She married her college sweetheart and best friend, Todd, in the summer of 1995. Work eventually moved the family to the Valley of the Sun, and Kelly quickly realized she did not miss the snow and fully embraced life in the Arizona sunshine — even when temperatures were over 100 degrees.

Kelly’s favorite things included traveling and filling her passport with stamps, Tuesday night $5 movies with friends, spoiling her “grand-cats” with new toys and treats, baseball games (Go White Sox!), live music and shows, and all things Disney — especially Minnie ears and Loungefly backpacks with a matching wallet. Most importantly, Kelly loved her family more than anything. She was Todd’s biggest cheerleader through all of life’s changes and her children’s number-one fan, cheering them on through every swim meet and all of their milestones.

Kelly served in an administrative role at Coronado Elementary within the Higley Unified School District for more than five years. She absolutely loved her job and the positive connections it brought her. Kelly cherished the time she spent both inside and outside of work with her coworkers and loved connecting with the community’s students. Her love for her work especially shone through in school events and projects. Whether creating themed bulletin boards or going all out for spirit days, she consistently found ways to make everything more fun for students and fellow staff.

Kelly is survived by her husband, Todd Harkins; her two children, Nicholas and Amanda Harkins; her mother, Susan Campbell; and her sister, Karen Campbell. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends, but her legacy will live on in all those whose lives she positively impacted.

“The world changes from year to year, our lives from day to day. But the love and memory of you shall never pass away.” — Unknown

Services A service to celebrate Kelly’s life will be held at Gilbert Memorial Park on Friday, January 30, at 4:00 p.m., with a reception immediately following.

Gilbert Memorial Park 2100 East Queen Creek Road Gilbert, AZ 85297 https://www.gilbertmemorialpark.com/