Kelly O'Rourke
1965 - 2025
Kelly Shobe O’Rourke was born in Pasadena, California on July 20, 1965 and died in Scottsdale, Arizona of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) on August 3, 2025. In the year since her death her family, friends, colleagues, and former students still think of her often and for good reason; she was a kind, caring, giving soul who positively impacted countless lives.
Over the course of her childhood, her family moved frequently, with time spent in Colorado, Michigan, and England, before eventually settling in Santa Barbara, California. She attended Baylor University as an undergraduate, and after a year of law school decided on a career in teaching. She spent well over 30 years dedicated to educating middle school students and taught a number of subjects over the years, including English and History, to mainstream, gifted and emotionally disturbed students. For the last few years of her career she served as a teaching coach as well as finding new passion as a drama teacher, where she managed the seemingly impossible task of getting middle school students to successfully perform both Shakespeare and musicals. Over the course of her career she was well-liked by her students while also demanding that they rise to her standards.
She married Brian O’Rourke in 1992 in Santa Barbara, and they lived there and in Sunnyvale, California before settling in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2000. They had a daughter Madeline in 2001 and a son Sean in 2004. Both those children are in the process of successfully launching careers, a tribute to Kelly’s unwavering emotional support and practical advice. In addition to her husband and children, she left behind her dear mother Linda Shobe and brother Jay Shobe, both of Santa Barbara, four sisters-in-law, two brothers-in-law, an aunt, many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Kelly’s cancer diagnosis in 2023 was effectively terminal, with the chances of stopping the cancer very slim. However, she always took a realistic but unshakably positive attitude towards her treatment and refused to dwell on the negative. She loved her family dearly, showed great dedication to teaching, fought cancer bravely, and was devoted to her many friends. She continues to be greatly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.