‘Best. Grandma. Ever.’: Kelly Bontrager is making a difference in everyone’s lives by always being present

Kelly Bontrager is the best grandma ever.

Like seriously.

Everything she does for them and with them is absolutely admirable and something that many people can learn from. She interacts with them so well, and they all love spending every bit of time they can with their grandma.

“Kelly’s sole purpose in life is to be available to her kids and grandsons,” her husband, Paul, said. “Both of our kids are military families and whenever the soldier – my son and son-in-law – deploy for training or combat, Kelly travels and stays with our daughter-in-law, Stephanie, or our daughter, Katie, to help with the kids, house chores and everything in between.

“She has never missed one of our grandsons’ birthdays and if she isn’t present, always sends a specially prepared box for every holiday, even during times like Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and others.”

Family is surely the most important priority in Kelly’s life, and it is not even close. She would do ANYTHING for her family, and she is someone who is truly always there for them. She wants to always make sure her family is taken care of and is shown a special type of love that only she can show as a mother and grandmother.

She is truly appreciated for all she does for the family, and they all know they could not do it without her. Between all the sleepless nights she spent raising her children and now all the times she helps out with raising her grandchildren, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind what Kelly would do for her family.

“She always bends over backwards to make sure her kids are happy and taken care of,” her son Zach said.

Kelly’s family just wants her to know that they have always noticed and been appreciative of all she has done for them, and they know the countless sacrifices she made to raise her family the right way. She is more than just a wife, mother and grandmother, but Kelly is a friend, a protector, a caring individual and someone who can always be counted on.

“She is fiercely protective of her kids and grandkids,” Paul said. “She is passionate in her role as a mother and grandmother. She’s always been somebody’s something else – Paul’s wife; Zach and Katie’s mom – but she is so much more than that to us. When I was in the military, she was helping out the wives. She completely sacrifices for everyone, and it is truly never about her. Both our kids are super successful because of her.”

One example of the sacrifices Kelly has made that was highlighted by Paul began over two decades ago, but they were sacrifices that lasted for many years to come.

“When 9/11 happened, I was a mid-grade Army officer,” Paul said. “Those events took me away for a majority of the next 12 years. She was raising the kids by herself throughout that. A lesser mother would have thrown her hands up, but Kelly somehow always did it with a smile on her face and a sense of optimism, and she was helping out a bunch of other military wives while she was at it.”

No matter how tall the task may be, Kelly is always up for the challenge, and she does not let much bring her down. She has always shown so much selflessness and care for others in everything she does, and she has always been a woman with a whole lot of courage and love to go around.

“My mom never cared what she had to sacrifice in order to make those she loves happy,” Katie said. “She has taken a back seat for most of her life in order for my brother, dad and I to succeed. She doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body.”

Paul said that part of what played into his success in the military is the fact that he never had to worry about whether or not his kids were taken care of. He knew that Kelly was always going to make them number one in her life and that they had a great role model and mother to look up to.

Paul mentioned as well that Kelly is a true matriarch and the one person you can always count on to be there, and she is always going to be present in the lives of everyone around her.

“She makes a huge impact by being someone who is there for the spouses of other military members,” Paul said. “She is always humble and down to earth, and people are always comfortable talking to her. She intentionally keeps her friends broad, and she is there for everybody. That is a huge value added for her. Her being the strength of the families for thousands of Army families is something everyone holds in high regard. She was always available to take care of everything they needed and is just always there for others in general.”

Kelly is a constant in everyone’s lives, and she is always making an impact and a difference wherever she goes. She is compassionate toward everyone, and she is always present.

Kelly is a kind soul and someone who people can rely upon, and she is someone who her grandkids will continue to look up to and learn from as they grow older.

“I love my mom and appreciate everything she does,” Zach said.

“I want my mom to know that nothing she’s done for any of us has gone unappreciated or unnoticed,” Katie said. “Now being a mom myself, I try to emulate who she was to us as a mom because it is the absolute best example anyone could ask for.”

“Kelly should know that she is the single most important person that keeps our family together,” Paul said. “She binds us in so many ways, and every year we have many more memories that will sustain us with a lifetime of love and dedication to each other.”

She truly is the “Best Grandma Ever.”