Kelly O'Neil Henson, photographer

There was that smile.

Actually, two smiles.

One, the word "Smile," was written on the windshield of the small inflatable boat.

Then there was the smile on Kelly O'Neil Henson's face as she snapped photos of the passing sailboats and stood beside her golden retriever, Whidbey, tossing Hershey's Kisses to the crews.

Whether the seas were calm or stormy, Ms. Henson would be out there in her 13-foot Avon — later replaced, to her friends' relief, by an 18-footer — at Puget Sound regattas.

"It's surprising they didn't fall overboard," said a sailing friend, Grant Fjermedal.

Ms. Henson, 46, perhaps the most visible member of Seattle's sailing community, died early Tuesday of injuries sustained in a car accident Feb. 22. She never regained consciousness.

As word of her accident spread among boating enthusiasts, they posted get-well notes, memories and tributes on a Sailing Anarchy Web site that drew 25,000 "hits" in a little more than a week.

Hundreds of friends and relatives filled St. Joseph Church in Seattle for a prayer service Friday, and smaller groups gathered for prayers in Victoria and Nanaimo, B.C., and on Taiwan.

Friends lined up outside the door of her room at Harborview Medical Center. So many of them said she was one of their best friends that a nurse asked her husband, Gerry Henson, "How many best friends does Kelly have?"

The answer: a lot.

"She made everyone feel special — like they were her best friend," Gerry Henson said.

"She had the ability to light up a room. She considered all of her friends as best friends," said her sister, Eunice O'Neil.

Born April 3, 1957, Catherine Fratt O'Neil had six brothers and sisters. After graduating in 1975 from Everett High School, she attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif., and started her own business, Kelly O'Neil Photography.

Her passion was to be out on the water, whether crewing a sailboat or photographing one. She had been a trustee of the Seattle Yacht Club, where she taught sailing to children and where she, her husband and their son Louie, 9, berthed their sailboat.

"She was fearless," said sailing companion Kathy Farron. "I'll go out in anything on the water, but she took it way beyond what I would do. She was amazing. In the roughest weather she would be out there taking shots."

On race days Ms. Henson would attach daffodils to the stern of her inflatable and, with Whidbey, bob up and down in the waves as she photographed the boats. Then she would race back to the dock, where she would offer the crews photos for sale.

She had a growing reputation as a photographer, shooting regattas around the world, including last year's America's Cup in New Zealand.

Her sense of humor was legendary. For the past 10 years she raced in Whistler's Peak to Valley downhill slalom ski race in British Columbia, calling her team, "Mrs. Doubtfire and her Boy Toys."

Another time she met a renowned sailboat-equipment manufacturer by donning sunglasses and pretending Whidbey was her guide dog.

"Kelly lived five lifetimes compared to us mere mortals," said Chris Otorowski, a boating and skiing friend.

Ms. Henson's death came nearly two months after her brother, William "Willy" O'Neil, died in an accident while duck hunting on the Okanogan River in Eastern Washington.

Willy O'Neil's golden retriever, Widgeon, was given to Ms. Henson's son, Louie. Ms. Henson's dog Whidbey, who was in declining health, was put to sleep last week.

Ms. Henson was there for her friends in times of sadness, recalled Maggie Webster, whose husband died last fall. Ms. Henson showed up at the hospital to hold hands and offer comfort. She later became a "sailing godmother" for Webster's daughter.

In addition to her husband and son, Ms. Henson is survived by her parents, Nina and Bill O'Neil of Everett; brothers Paul and Gene, both of Everett, and James of Seattle; and sisters Eunice of Auburn and Molly of Friday Harbor.

Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Holy Family Church, 505 17th St. S.E., Auburn. A celebration of Ms. Henson's life will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Seattle Yacht Club.

Friends who wish to make gifts in Kelly Henson's name may send them to First Place School, P.O. Box 22536, Seattle, WA 98122; Seattle Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program, 1807 E. Hamlin St., Seattle 98112; or the Louis Henson Fund, c/o RBC Dain Rauscher, 1201 Third Ave., No. 2500, Seattle 98101, attn: James O'Neil.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com