Hundreds of people are expected to pay their last respects to Kelly Dutiaume this afternoon when her funeral takes place at Kirkcaldy Crematorium.
A large turnout of family, friends and well-wishers from the ice hockey world is expected for the 3pm funeral, which will also mark the passing of her unborn twins.
The British ice hockey world, and Kirkcaldy in general, was shocked last week following the sudden death of Kelly (38), the wife of Fife Flyers player-coach Todd Dutiaume.
Kelly, whose maiden name was Hamilton, was a former pupil at Kirkcaldy High School.
A lifelong, passionate Fife Flyers fan, she first met Canadian-born Todd, also 38, more than a decade ago after he arrived as a player at the Kirkcaldy club.
The couple married in 2005 and have a three-year-old daughter Olivia. The twins were due to be born within weeks. Kelly’s sudden death and the loss of the unborn twins left people devastated, with tributes being paid from across the UK.
Last Friday around 300 people attended a candlelit vigil in memory of Kelly at the Fife Ice Arena.
Then, on Saturday, every ice hockey match in the UK observed a minute’s silence or applause, while Todd’s first pro hockey team from Canada, the Brandon Wheat Kings, posted their support on Twitter.
At Nottingham, home team the Panthers made a point of shaking the hand of every Flyers player before the teams stood in silent tribute. There were emotional scenes as the scoreboard displayed only the Flyers’ famous wings and the words ‘In Memorium’.
Fife Flyers fans will pay silent tribute to Kelly and the twins before Saturday’s home game against Dundee Stars.