Kelley Lea (Pottorff) Dorsett

Kelley Lea (Pottorff) Dorsett, 61, was welcomed with open arms into the gates of heaven on November 29, 2024 after a courageous battle against cancer. Born in Wichita, Kansas on June 3, 1963 to parents Richard and June Pottorff, Kelley grew up with her brother, Steven Otto Pottorff. She attended Wilbur Junior High and then Northwest High School, until her father’s job relocated them to El Dorado in 1978. She graduated from El Dorado High School in 1981, and from there went to Emporia State University. There she was apart of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and graduated with her Business and Accounting degree. She worked at her father’s bank, MidContinent, until 1987 when she decided to pursue a different career path. She went back to school at Kansas Newman to become a nurse. This began the start of her lifelong passion, where she never felt like she worked a day in her life. 

She began her new career at St. Francis hospital as a scrub nurse before transitioning to be an organ harvester for Midwest Transplant Network. During this time, she traveled across the Midwest to give families an opportunity at a better life. Most notably, she was one of about 100 who was able to fly on September 12, 2001, when she traveled to transfer an organ. Kelley also experienced organ donation first hand, receiving four cornea transplants along with numerous other eye surgeries after being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, Keratoconus, in her 20s. After meeting years prior, Kelley married the love of her life, Tray Dorsett, on October 23, 1993 and became a second mom to his daughters, Shanna and Kodie. They had a daughter of their own, Sarah (Dorsett) Cusick, in 1996. After completing her time at Midwest Transplant Network, Kelley worked in the Endocrine Clinic at Children’s Mercy in Wichita. She retired in 2016. 

After a few short years of rest and relaxation she then began, what she called, the “greatest job of her life”. She sacrificed her well earned retirement to take care of three of her grandchildren, Baker, Hazel, and Willa, beginning in 2019. She continued to care for and support her family until her death. 

Kelley is proceeded in death by her parents, Dick and June Pottorff of Wichita and El Dorado as well as numerous other aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her husband, Tray Dorsett, her brother Steven Otto (Denise) Pottorff, her daughters, Shanna Dorsett (Chris Estes), Kodie Dorsett, and Sarah (Houston) Cusick, and 6 grandchildren. 

A celebration of Kelley’s life will be held on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 1:00pm at Metro East Baptist Church

In lieu of flowers, donations in memoriam should be made to Midwest Transplant Network, 1900 W. 47th Place, Suite 400, Westwood, KS 66205 or Metro East Baptist Church, 333 N. 143rd St. E., Wichita, KS 67230.