Kelli Peacock was born on October 4, 1967 in Natchez, MS on her daddy’s 29th birthday. She is the daughter of Doug & Joyce Peacock. The family moved back to Calhoun County in 1976.
Kelli had a love of journalism that started at a very young age. Friends say often on Sunday afternoons she would lock herself in her bedroom with her red tape recorder and record herself while reading news stories and try to sound like the news anchors. She was a very creative writer and wrote the plays for the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre hosted by Blountstown Main Street. She wrote one of the plays in just one day! This love of writing would lead to her becoming News Editor with The County Record newspaper from 1998 until her passing in 2016.
Kelli always dreamed she would live in New York part of the year and write. She loved NYC. She told her sister during her battle with Breast Cancer that when she got to Heaven she could see NYC anytime she wanted. She never lost her sense of hope, wishing and dreaming.
Kelli took the below photo at the place where John Lennon died. The word "imagine" was so fitting for Kelli. There was nothing she couldn’t imagine.
In high school she was the reporter for Blountstown High School news for The County Record. Kelli was also on the yearbook staff, class officer – historian, honor student and cheerleader.
She will always be remembered for her compassion for others. She would go out of her way to help someone in need. She loved working to better our community and was involved with many projects over the years, but most notably:
- Co-Founder of Helping Hands
- Chamber of Commerce Director
- Blountstown Main Street Board of Directors
- Calhoun Liberty Employees Credit Union Board of Directors
- News Editor for the Calhoun County Record 1998-2016
Friends and family say Kelli had a great sense of humor and quick wit that kept them laughing. Her laughter and smile were infectious. She was a hard worker and wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. She loved her family very much…and her beloved pets. Her sister, Kim said she had a great love for animals and kept dog food in her car for strays.
Kim said she was afraid Kelli would cause a fender bender because she would hit the brakes in a second and pull over to feed them.
Kelli loved to travel. She drove to Canada all by herself stopping along the way to visit several states. Her sister said the Amish country was one of her favorites. A friend was asked to describe Kelli in three words...she said, "Christian, Faithful, Fearless."
When Kelli was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had the most amazing faith and positive attitude. She spoke everyday of her faith in God & how she was at peace with whatever plan he had for her. She looked forward to attending her RCC Small Group gatherings each week because they were like a family to her.
Thank you to Kelli's family for providing stories and photos to help us honor her memory.
Kelli Peacock Dunn was truly an inspiration to all who knew and loved her and is Calhoun County's August Local Legend.
Kelli Peacock Dunn
October 4, 1967 - August 30, 2016
