Kelsey Lee Hardy, 31, of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away on Monday, September 20, 2021, at MercyOne Hospital in Des Moines. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. The service will be live streamed on the Smith Funeral Home Facebook page beginning at 9:45 AM. A reception will follow at the Poweshiek County Fairground Exhibit Hall. Kelsey's family has requested for those attending the visitation and funeral service to please wear a face mask. Memorials to honor her memory may be made payable to her mother, Kelly Caldwell, and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Condolences may be offered to Kelsey's family online at www.smithfh.com. Kelsey Lee Hardy was born the daughter of Franklin and Kelly (Utoft) Hardy on January 26, 1990, in Ottumwa, Iowa. She grew up in the Ottumwa and Eddyville area until the 3rd grade, when her family moved to Newton, Iowa. Kelsey graduated from Basics and Beyond High School in Newton in 2008. Kelsey enjoyed music, concerts, making and collecting jewelry, getting tattoos and piercings, had an eclectic taste in fashion, loved animals and playing with her pets, and having fun with her friends. She was a free spirit in everything she did in life. She was known to be stubborn, ornery, and goofy, but would have done anything for anybody. Those are the traits that her family loved about her the most. As an adult, Kelsey suffered from mental illness and other struggles, but it did not keep her from being a sensitive, creative, and absolutely beautiful woman. The family would like this tragedy to bring awareness of the many people who are suffering with mental illness. By her passing, Kelsey became a hero by choosing to be an organ donor so she could save the lives of others. Kelsey is survived by her mom, Kelly and dad Gary Caldwell of Grinnell; sister, Lyndsey (Don) Johnson of Huxley, Iowa; maternal grandma, Dianna Hartman of Bloomfield, Iowa; paternal grandma, Lucille Hardy of Stockbridge, Georgia; papa, Dennis (Shannon) Utoft of Ottumwa; many aunts and uncles, who taught her to be ornery: Ben (Monica) Utoft, Brian (Mary) Utoft, Carrie Chadwick (Aaron), Chris (Diane) Hardy, Deb Utoft, Dee Nelson, Doug (Tammy) Caldwell, Glenn Schafnitz, Mark (Toni) Utoft, and Todd (Julia) Caldwell; and was loved by so many cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, Franklin Hardy in 1993; Grandma Janice; Grandpa Terry; Grandpa Ken; and her great and great-great grandparents.