To say that Mary Lou Carey was a Philadelphia sports fanatic is an understatement.

“She would have the game off, have the game on. She’d be nervous,” said Jill Carey, Mary’s daughter. “Yelling at the refs.”

But the spitfire Delaware County native had a soft spot for one player in particular: Former Eagles center Jason Kelce.

“She called him her young boyfriend,” Carey said.

Carey talked about her mom in the past tense because Mary died on April 6. She battled an illness for months, and in recent weeks, the family had some difficult discussions about her wishes.

“She started asking about what she was going to wear for the funeral,” Carey said. “As a joke, my sister said, ‘What about your Jason Kelce jersey, mom?’ And at this point she was kind of sleeping a lot, not saying much, and she got the biggest smile on her face, her eyes popped wide open, and she said, ‘Yes, I love him!'”

The family wanted to do something extra special for their dying mother.

They went to a Haverford Facebook page and asked a long-shot question: Does anyone have contact with their mom’s favorite player so they could get her jersey signed before the funeral?

Before long, comments started pouring. Two other pro athletes even got involved, and before they knew it, their mom’s jersey went on a journey to Kelce’s house.

As Mary lay in bed, Carey had to tell her what was happening.

“She smiled and she said, ‘Really?’ I said, ‘Yeah Mom.’ And she said, ‘For me?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ She just smiled,” Carey said.

The family got the jersey back just in time for the funeral on Monday, complete with Kelce’s signature. It helped bring the family a little joy on a dark day.

They learned about the kindness of strangers and the heart of a Philly sports legend.

“He’s all about the fans and the community. He goes the extra mile, and that’s why everyone loves him,” Carey said.