Kelly Traw

KELLY TRAW

Iowa City

Kelly Lynn Traw, beloved daughter of Chuck and A.K. (Jones) Traw, passed away Sept. 2, 2014, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md.

She was born Oct. 30, 1964, at University of Iowa

Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Kelly spent her early years in Portland, Ore., and Davenport, Iowa, before her family moved to Iowa City. Kelly attended Northwest Junior High and graduated from West High School in Iowa City in 1983.

Kelly graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, where she was a member of Chi Omega. Her double major in political science and German took her to the University of Freiburg in Germany for her junior year. Upon graduation she received an International Rotary scholarship and elected to spend the ensuing year studying at the University of Zurich. Following a year of travels throughout Europe, Russia and the Greek Islands, she matriculated to the University of Iowa College of Law, graduating with highest honors.

After law school, Kelly moved to Washington, D.C., and pursued her interest in health care policy. Her success was reflected in her positions as public policy manager for the National Business Group on Health, Department of Labor's representative on administrative health reform, and at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Washington D.C., director of Tax, Accounting and Regulatory Practice. Kelly then became a principal of Mercer Corporation's Washington Resource Group. At Mercer she was a senior national policy and regulatory expert on a broad range of federal and state legislative and regulatory health care topics. She was quoted in many national newspapers and was a frequent guest on news radio, including NPR. She was highly regarded by her peers. Kelly was solicited by the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the October 2014 issue will contain an article authored by her.

Kelly found joy in gardening, writing, reading, cooking and fine dining. The home Kelly and her husband, Tommy, established in Silver Spring, Md., brought her satisfaction, most especially the "decision porch," where life's more pleasurable events occurred. She dearly loved her dogs, Casey, Jack and Annie.

Kelly is missed tremendously and will always remain in the hearts of her parents; her husband, Tom White; and her sister, Nikki Traw and partner Debbie Engelstad. Her love for her nephews, Caden and Owen, and niece, Jacey, were a focus for her strength through countless bouts of chemotherapy. She will be greatly missed by her extended family and by the many friends who supported her through her three-year battle with leukemia.

Kelly will be forever remembered for her strength and courage in the face of adversity and her warm and radiant smile.

A celebration of Kelly's life will be Saturday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City. Pastors Mark Pries and Jennifer Lutz will officiate. The family will greet guests immediately before the service. A celebration also will be held in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 27.

Memorial contributions in Kelly's memory may be made to "Life with Cancer Program" (Please designate: "in memory of Kelly Traw"). 8411 Pennell St., Fairfax, VA 22031. Contact person: Sage.Bolte@Inova.org.