Kelsey Elizabeth Chlovechok

Kelsey “Kelsi” Elizabeth Chlovechok died on July 19, 2024 at home in Hubert, North Carolina. She was born on July 4, 1989 in Akron, Ohio.

In her twenties Kelsi was a firefighter, EMT, and an ocean lifeguard. The eldest of five children, she lived her life as though everyone she met was her younger sibling—hers to guard and love.

Kelsi battled a life-threatening condition called vEDS—Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome—valiantly, with courage and grace.

When her condition progressed, Kelsi became a loud and proud wheelchair user. She began working full-time from home, and in her own time she turned her attention to education & advocacy work.

She was a published disability advocacy journalist and a spokesperson within her global company. She moderated online and offline support groups. She was a community organizer and an educational content creator. Kelsi changed the way ‘abled’ people think of and accommodate ‘disabled’ people within her spheres, and she made disabled people consider themselves with more kindness.

Kelsi believed that disabled people don’t need to be strong, or brave, or heroic. Yet she found energy to be those things, deep within herself, and Kelsi dedicated her life to advocating for and uplifting her peers.

Kelsi was also a talented artist, a beautiful singer, and a skilled guitarist and songwriter. She was a Southerner through and through, who showed everyone how good line-dancing and cowboy boots look in a bright pink, accessorized wheelchair. She was a loving pet-owner, who could wax poetic for hours about her dog, cats, and her beloved gecko. She was a published writer and a gifted storyteller. 35 years was not enough, but she fit immeasurable joy and adventure into that time.

Kelsi is preceded in death by her father, James David Chlovechok, M.D.

She is survived by her husband, Tyler Brown, her mother, Anne Chlovechok; four younger siblings, Parker, Molly Anne, Brianna, and John Cooper; her son; and numerous extended family members and friends who loved her dearly.

Kelsi’s incredible life was celebrated among family and friends in a private memorial ceremony, and she was buried at sea, where she had spent many happy, sunny days with those she loved.