Kelly Vieira
WEST WARWICK, R.I.
Kelly Vieira always made time for family. She was the one who jumped behind the wheel when her daughter Crystle, 18, needed a ride to sports practice at West Warwick High School. She was the one who dropped everything when her eldest daughter Chandree, 22, needed help planning her upcoming wedding. And she was the one who made sure there was always a plate of leftovers in the fridge when her husband, Scott, a bouncer at The Station, got home late from the nightclub just blocks from their West Warwick home.
''She took care of everybody,'' said Vieira's aunt, Patricia Kelly. ''Her family was everything to her. She would do anything for them.''
Vieira, 40, worked as a physical therapy assistant at Orthopedic Associates in Cranston, a job that required unyielding patience, a gentle touch, and a persistent sense of humor. Vieira was a natural, according to Maria Cabral, a secretary at Orthopedic Associates.
"She was always kind and always seemed happy," she said. "She touched so many people's lives here. She was a beautiful person."
Vieira, who grew up in Swansea, married Scott, 41, and moved to Rhode Island shortly after high school. She went to The Station the night of the Great White concert to say a quick hello to her husband, who escaped the deadly fire after working the door.
According to relatives, Vieira planned to leave the nightclub after the first couple of songs because she had to be at work early the next morning.
"It's strange that something like this could have happened to her, because she was always the strongest one in that family," said Vieira's cousin, Colleen Kowalik.
JAMES WHITTERS
