There was no question Shauna and Tom would marry when they first met as teenagers playing basketball in Prince Rupert.
"One hundred per cent. That smile of his could light up a room. Tom's the kind of guy that would literally give the shirt off his back," said Shauna.
She was 17 and he was 18. They were married a year later. They celebrated their 26th anniversary just recently.
And they were together in the early evening of July 12, 2025, at Usk, east of Terrace, when Tom Kelly went missing while fishing in the Skeena River.
An avid outdoorsperson, Kelly was last seen standing in the Skeena River. His family noticed he was missing just minutes later.
His disappearance resulted in a full-scale search led by Terrace RCMP using search and rescue teams from both Terrace and Kitimat, as well as, community volunteers.
"We just hope to bring him home," Shauna said on July 17.
The couple made their home in Vanderhoof where Tom spent 22 years at the recently-closed West Fraser sawmill in Fraser Lake. He just finished his first year of an auto technician course at Coast Mountain College in Terrace.
Shauna is a Re/Max sales agent in Vanderhoof. They have three children. The youngest turned 21 on July 17. They also have a grandchild turning three in September.
"Tom has coached hockey, basketball, soccer ... pretty much every sport under the sun for the past 25 years," said Shauna. "We are avid volunteers in our community and we come here every year to go fishing. Tom grew up fishing with his father in Rupert."
Tom's strength also came out last year when his father opted for hospice care at home instead of the hospital, Shauna continued.
"He actually helped his dad pass at home," she said.
Shauna said she understood why the official search was called off by the afternoon of July 14.
"I want to say a big thank you to Terrace Search and Rescue and to the RCMP for doing what they can. I understand they have limited resources at their access and they have rules that they follow. They're pretty amazing," she added.
"They have their rules and when the water comes down, they're going to get back up out there again."
Shauna also said she's been astounded at the number of people who came out the evening Tom disappeared and who have been coming out ever since.
People with boats and drones have been searching various parts of the river, while others are bringing food and refreshments.
"I've been trying to give people money for fuel, for their time, and they're just 'no, no way.' They're not taking anything," Shauna continued.
Northern B.C. Jet Boat Tours took Shauna herself out on the river, checking out back eddies and other locations.
"They took us out for quite a period of time and wouldn't accept anything," she said.
The list of those pitching in includes Kitselas and Kitsumkalum, and people living along the river.
The same appreciation is being expressed by Andrew Gray, who has been coordinating the volunteer search efforts after the official search ended. He's Tom's brother-in-law and has been involved since the evening Tom went missing.
Although some volunteer searchers have been checking in with Gray, others have not. It leaves him unsure as to how many boats and people are involved. The one thing he does know is that searchers have come from all over, including people from Lax Kw'alaams, Tom's home village on the North Coast.
"The first night, Lax Kw'alaams sent up a big drone that had thermal imaging, and they flew all night," he said.
Assistance has come from those who aren't on the water. That list includes the Rainbow Motel, which has made two rooms available as well as gas and food cards.
A GoFundMe page, , is nearing its $18,000 goal with Shauna saying the money will be used for continued search expenses and equipment.
