Shelly Marie Buckhout-Ablett, age 47 passed away on October 29th, 2022, at Bronson Methodist hospital surrounded by her children. Shelly was born in Kalamazoo on March 28th, 1975, to Jim & Marilyn Buckhout. Shelly spent most of her school years at Delton Kellogg Schools but graduated in 1993 at Gull Lake. Shelly worked at Ken Bleeker Insurance Agency in Martin for many years. Shelly is survived by her husband, Ford Ablett; her children, Katelyn (Zach) Steele, Taylor (Jacob) Ford & Tucker Curry; her stepchildren, Cody (Hannah), Dillon, & Ashley Ablett; her grandchildren, Rylie, McKenna, Payton, Reagan, Wesley, Willow, Wyatt & Paisley; her mother, Marilyn Buckhout; her brother, Greg (Elizabeth) Buckhout, and many loving friends & family. Shelly is preceded in death by her beloved father James (Jim) Buckhout & her grandparents.
Shelly's children & grandchildren were her pride & joy. When her kids were younger, she loved to cheer them on at all their sporting & school events. She was so proud of the amazing young adults they had now become. Shelly's grandchildren brought her so much joy to her life. Shelly loved to spend time with all of them as much as she could doing sleepovers, shopping, taking them places or just hanging out at her house with them. Her kind, beautiful soul will continue to shine on through each of them. Shelly loved flowers & spending time in her gardens, it made her soul happy. Shelly loved to travel & see beautiful places with her husband Ford. Her favorite place to travel with her family was Jekyll Island, GA. She had taken many vacations in Jekyll Island over the years with her family. Shelly was the life of the party & the best event/party planner ever! She was quite the character, always making people laugh & have a good time no matter what you were doing. She loved to do goofy things & to embarrass those she was with, especially her children. Her smile & laugh could light up any room.
The memorial service to celebrate Shelly's life will be held Saturday November 12th at 3pm at Martin United Methodist Church, 969 E. Allegan St. Martin. Shelly's family will be there to greet friends from 1:30pm until service at 3:00pm at the church. There will be a luncheon to follow at the church for friends & family.