MCKINNEY, Texas — Funeral services have been set for a beloved wife, mother, and clerk within the Collin County courthouse this weekend in Denison, the family of 45-year-old Katrina Shelby has announced.
Shelby was killed Monday in a multi-vehicle crash along U.S. 75 northbound in Anna near Rosamond Parkway, according to the Anna Police Department. Two other people were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment, while four others declined medical treatment at the scene.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Shelby's life will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, at First Baptist Church of Denison. She left behind a loving husband, two children and an entire courthouse that is now in mourning.
Shelby would have celebrated her eighth year in the district clerk's office in Collin County next month. Her boss, District Clerk Michael Gould, told WFAA on Thursday that the entire office is slowly processing the suddenness of Monday's accident.
She was a lead clerk overseeing case files for four district courts and was in charge of the work processes of eight clerks under her leadership.
"She made plans to go take graduation pictures with her daughter, and she was on the way to do that when this happened," Gould said. "She was a leader here, and that's the tragic part of this whole thing because that's our family member we're missing right now."
Since Shelby's death, a memorial has been set up in the clerk's office, where coworkers and others from the county have left notes and flowers. Her office is empty, and the date on her desk calendar is unchanged from Monday when she left for the day.
A reminder of what has been lost, Gould said. He passes by that office multiple times a day.
"I used to say good morning to her every day, and she was right there. She was somebody who was here all the time," Gould said.
Without district clerks, each court would be chaos. They make the judicial process go and are rarely noticed by the general public for keeping the blood of the courthouse flowing. Gould said Shelby is one of the best at her job and a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed.
"The feeling is that emptiness you get when somebody like that is suddenly taken," Gould said. That kind of suddenness happens too often in life and hurts worse when we lose someone who is so loved.
"We've all come to hug our kids a little tighter at night just because this happened," Gould said. "We know we have to be there for each other because we can't get through it alone."