Kelly Chiccitt, vice president of marketing at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-headquartered distributor HDS Marketing, passed away unexpectedly on October 25. She was 59.

Chiccitt began her career in the promotional products industry in 1990 and joined HDS in 2003 as vice president of sales. She later transitioned to her marketing role. A statement from the company on her passing reads, in part, “You just simply did not mess with Kelly Chiccitt. She stood up for her clients, she stood up for her co-workers and she never took ‘no’ for an answer. She loved her job and loved her clients. Her tenacity and enthusiasm with the way she did business was unmatched, and she can never be replaced.

“Kelly will be missed at a level that words cannot describe. If we can all learn anything from her passing it is this: Please take a moment every single day to cherish your time with your loved ones, family and friends, and live each day like it would be your last. This is what Kelly did every single day, and this is what Kelly would want all of us to do.”

A respected member of the HDS Marketing team, Chiccitt is also remembered for her infectious personality and her enthusiasm for sports. She loved March Madness basketball; Western PA High School football, where her son played; and the Cleveland Browns.

Chiccitt is survived by her husband Matt, son Anthony, brother John Stoffer and his wife Danielle, sister Stephanie Mulligan and her husband Seamus, father-in-law Randy Chiccitt, sister-in-law Shelly Passatore and her husband Anthony, and many nieces and nephews, as well as her many friends from college, the Bethel Park community, HDS and through her son’s sports.

Services were held on October 29 at Paul Henney Cremation & Funeral Tributes. Donations in her memory can be made to the Children’s Hospital 9th Floor Oncology Unit.