‘They knew that was her passion’: Kearney community donates shoes in honor of late cat rescue volunteer

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – On March 22, Kearney Rescue Cats lost a special volunteer. Ella Deweese passed away at 78, and the organization said she was one of its hardest-working volunteers.

She was in charge of a shoe fundraiser that partnered with a company in Florida to collect and ship thousands of shoes every year.

“We were a pretty young organization, and Ella was there from the beginning. One of the fundraisers we did was a shoe collection,” said Sherry Morrow, the founder of the rescue.

After her passing, Ella’s family decided to honor her by asking people to donate their own pairs of shoes in dedication to her passion.

“They’re all telling us how much they enjoyed working with her and how much they’ll miss her,” said Morrow.

More than 75 pairs have been collected, and Morrow says that seeing the community’s support behind this shows the impact Ella made not just at the rescue, but in Kearney.

“They came and brought those, but it was just another indication of how much effect she had on people. Many of the people who brought them weren’t even with the rescue, or had cats,” said Morrow. “They knew that was her passion.”

She was described as reliable, responsible, caring and always willing to lend a helping hand. The rescue says it will be tough to move on without her, but she knows that’s what Ella would have wanted.

“We’re trying to fill this void. We’re a bit held up right now, but we’re going to figure this out,” Morrow said. “That’s what she’d want.”