With fond memories, the family of Emma Evelyn Keene announces her passing on February 26, 2016, at the age of 93. Known as “Grandma Keene” to her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless other little ones who were in her care over the years, she was, as one put it, “a grandma who knew how to play with kids.” At home and at church, Grandma was always eager to color, play dominoes, build with blocks, or create with Play-Doh. She believed that she could cure just about any childhood ailment with saltines and Coca-Cola or Campho-Phenique powder, and she often did!
Born on April 7, 1922, the third child and eldest girl of ten children, Grandma was her mother’s helper from the very start. Married in 1940 to Andrew Keene, she had two girls, Bernice and Dorothy. When Andrew died suddenly at age 48, Grandma became a caregiver for many neighborhood children. In her home on Richards Street, the kitchen filled with the scent of brown beans and coffee, she fed plenty of tiny mouths. A family favorite was her recipe for “tater cakes.” By the time Grandma became a senior citizen, she had shifted her focus from caring for children to caring for the “elderly”, many of whom were younger than she. Her wam nature and homemade cooking gave comfort to many friends and neighbors. It seemed that Grandma rarely needed to look for work - it found her.
A hallmark of Grandma’s character was her sense of adventure. She was a walking enthusiast who enjoyed travel and thrived on new experiences. Whether she was asked to come to the aid of a family member a thousand miles away or invited to ride to Yellowstone in a camper, she was packed and ready. Over the years, Grandma made frequent trips to Pennsylvania with her younger brother, John Lovell. At the age of 80, she earned the title of “The Flying Grandma” when she joined a friend in an ultralight glider plane and soared over the White River. She often chose a winding country road and explored it to its very end with her loved ones and a snack in tow. In recent years, she found special joy in sharing a meal at IHOP or taking a drive to Lake Winona with her old friend, Clayton Perry. The two buddies spent many contented hours exchanging memories and surveying the view from a comfortable bench.
Grandma Keene would often say that if she won a sweepstakes, she wanted all of her family to go on television with her. She planned to wrap her arms arounds us and tell the camera, “I’m giving it all to my kids.” While she never actually won such a prize, she truly did give her all to her kids. We will remember having a cousins’ sleepover in a tent under the big quilting table in her sewing room. We will recall her stories of riding into town on top of a wagon full of cotton and buying a basket of grapes for ten cents. We will miss watching her feed the wild birds from her porch and call to them as if they were her pets. Most of all, we will cling to the vision of Grandma Keene rocking in a chair and serenading many a precious child to sleep with her own unique lullaby, “Doodlely Doodlely Doo…”
She will be greatly missed by her loving family. She is survived by her daughters, Bernice DeYoung (Ivan) of Benton and Dorothy Traister (Wes) of Mercersburg, PA; her brother Leon Lovell (Gayla) of Benton; her six grandchildren Andy (Angela), Bruce (Ingrid), Bill (Cheryl), Cara (Lou), Keena (Steve), Libby (Chris); eleven great-grandchildren David (Cassie), Zack, Kevin, Luke, Elizabeth, Maggie, Mary, Emma, Wes, Lilly and Layla; and other relatives and friends.
Her visitation will be held Monday, February 29, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at Roller-Ballard Funeral Home (315-4047) in Benton.
Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Smith-Rosemont Memorial Park in Benton.
Born on April 7, 1922, the third child and eldest girl of ten children, Grandma was her mother’s helper from the very start. Married in 1940 to Andrew Keene, she had two girls, Bernice and Dorothy. When Andrew died suddenly at age 48, Grandma became a caregiver for many neighborhood children. In her home on Richards Street, the kitchen filled with the scent of brown beans and coffee, she fed plenty of tiny mouths. A family favorite was her recipe for “tater cakes.” By the time Grandma became a senior citizen, she had shifted her focus from caring for children to caring for the “elderly”, many of whom were younger than she. Her wam nature and homemade cooking gave comfort to many friends and neighbors. It seemed that Grandma rarely needed to look for work - it found her.
A hallmark of Grandma’s character was her sense of adventure. She was a walking enthusiast who enjoyed travel and thrived on new experiences. Whether she was asked to come to the aid of a family member a thousand miles away or invited to ride to Yellowstone in a camper, she was packed and ready. Over the years, Grandma made frequent trips to Pennsylvania with her younger brother, John Lovell. At the age of 80, she earned the title of “The Flying Grandma” when she joined a friend in an ultralight glider plane and soared over the White River. She often chose a winding country road and explored it to its very end with her loved ones and a snack in tow. In recent years, she found special joy in sharing a meal at IHOP or taking a drive to Lake Winona with her old friend, Clayton Perry. The two buddies spent many contented hours exchanging memories and surveying the view from a comfortable bench.
Grandma Keene would often say that if she won a sweepstakes, she wanted all of her family to go on television with her. She planned to wrap her arms arounds us and tell the camera, “I’m giving it all to my kids.” While she never actually won such a prize, she truly did give her all to her kids. We will remember having a cousins’ sleepover in a tent under the big quilting table in her sewing room. We will recall her stories of riding into town on top of a wagon full of cotton and buying a basket of grapes for ten cents. We will miss watching her feed the wild birds from her porch and call to them as if they were her pets. Most of all, we will cling to the vision of Grandma Keene rocking in a chair and serenading many a precious child to sleep with her own unique lullaby, “Doodlely Doodlely Doo…”
She will be greatly missed by her loving family. She is survived by her daughters, Bernice DeYoung (Ivan) of Benton and Dorothy Traister (Wes) of Mercersburg, PA; her brother Leon Lovell (Gayla) of Benton; her six grandchildren Andy (Angela), Bruce (Ingrid), Bill (Cheryl), Cara (Lou), Keena (Steve), Libby (Chris); eleven great-grandchildren David (Cassie), Zack, Kevin, Luke, Elizabeth, Maggie, Mary, Emma, Wes, Lilly and Layla; and other relatives and friends.
Her visitation will be held Monday, February 29, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at Roller-Ballard Funeral Home (315-4047) in Benton.
Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Smith-Rosemont Memorial Park in Benton.
With fond memories, the family of Emma Evelyn Keene announces her passing on February 26, 2016, at the age of 93. Known as “Grandma Keene” to her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless other little ones who were in her care over the years, she was, as one put it, “a grandma who knew how to play with kids.” At home and at church, Grandma was always eager to color, play dominoes, build with blocks, or create with Play-Doh. She believed that she could cure just about any childhood ailment with saltines and Coca-Cola or Campho-Phenique powder, and she often did!
Born on April 7, 1922, the third child and eldest girl of ten children, Grandma was her mother’s helper from the very start. Married in 1940 to Andrew Keene, she had two girls, Bernice and Dorothy. When Andrew died suddenly at age 48, Grandma became a caregiver for many neighborhood children. In her home on Richards Street, the kitchen filled with the scent of brown beans and coffee, she fed plenty of tiny mouths. A family favorite was her recipe for “tater cakes.” By the time Grandma became a senior citizen, she had shifted her focus from caring for children to caring for the “elderly”, many of whom were younger than she. Her wam nature and homemade cooking gave comfort to many friends and neighbors. It seemed that Grandma rarely needed to look for work - it found her.
A hallmark of Grandma’s character was her sense of adventure. She was a walking enthusiast who enjoyed travel and thrived on new experiences. Whether she was asked to come to the aid of a family member a thousand miles away or invited to ride to Yellowstone in a camper, she was packed and ready. Over the years, Grandma made frequent trips to Pennsylvania with her younger brother, John Lovell. At the age of 80, she earned the title of “The Flying Grandma” when she joined a friend in an ultralight glider plane and soared over the White River. She often chose a winding country road and explored it to its very end with her loved ones and a snack in tow. In recent years, she found special joy in sharing a meal at IHOP or taking a drive to Lake Winona with her old friend, Clayton Perry. The two buddies spent many contented hours exchanging memories and surveying the view from a comfortable bench.
Grandma Keene would often say that if she won a sweepstakes, she wanted all of her family to go on television with her. She planned to wrap her arms arounds us and tell the camera, “I’m giving it all to my kids.” While she never actually won such a prize, she truly did give her all to her kids. We will remember having a cousins’ sleepover in a tent under the big quilting table in her sewing room. We will recall her stories of riding into town on top of a wagon full of cotton and buying a basket of grapes for ten cents. We will miss watching her feed the wild birds from her porch and call to them as if they were her pets. Most of all, we will cling to the vision of Grandma Keene rocking in a chair and serenading many a precious child to sleep with her own unique lullaby, “Doodlely Doodlely Doo…”
She will be greatly missed by her loving family. She is survived by her daughters, Bernice DeYoung (Ivan) of Benton and Dorothy Traister (Wes) of Mercersburg, PA; her brother Leon Lovell (Gayla) of Benton; her six grandchildren Andy (Angela), Bruce (Ingrid), Bill (Cheryl), Cara (Lou), Keena (Steve), Libby (Chris); eleven great-grandchildren David (Cassie), Zack, Kevin, Luke, Elizabeth, Maggie, Mary, Emma, Wes, Lilly and Layla; and other relatives and friends.
Her visitation will be held Monday, February 29, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at Roller-Ballard Funeral Home (315-4047) in Benton.
Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Smith-Rosemont Memorial Park in Benton.
Born on April 7, 1922, the third child and eldest girl of ten children, Grandma was her mother’s helper from the very start. Married in 1940 to Andrew Keene, she had two girls, Bernice and Dorothy. When Andrew died suddenly at age 48, Grandma became a caregiver for many neighborhood children. In her home on Richards Street, the kitchen filled with the scent of brown beans and coffee, she fed plenty of tiny mouths. A family favorite was her recipe for “tater cakes.” By the time Grandma became a senior citizen, she had shifted her focus from caring for children to caring for the “elderly”, many of whom were younger than she. Her wam nature and homemade cooking gave comfort to many friends and neighbors. It seemed that Grandma rarely needed to look for work - it found her.
A hallmark of Grandma’s character was her sense of adventure. She was a walking enthusiast who enjoyed travel and thrived on new experiences. Whether she was asked to come to the aid of a family member a thousand miles away or invited to ride to Yellowstone in a camper, she was packed and ready. Over the years, Grandma made frequent trips to Pennsylvania with her younger brother, John Lovell. At the age of 80, she earned the title of “The Flying Grandma” when she joined a friend in an ultralight glider plane and soared over the White River. She often chose a winding country road and explored it to its very end with her loved ones and a snack in tow. In recent years, she found special joy in sharing a meal at IHOP or taking a drive to Lake Winona with her old friend, Clayton Perry. The two buddies spent many contented hours exchanging memories and surveying the view from a comfortable bench.
Grandma Keene would often say that if she won a sweepstakes, she wanted all of her family to go on television with her. She planned to wrap her arms arounds us and tell the camera, “I’m giving it all to my kids.” While she never actually won such a prize, she truly did give her all to her kids. We will remember having a cousins’ sleepover in a tent under the big quilting table in her sewing room. We will recall her stories of riding into town on top of a wagon full of cotton and buying a basket of grapes for ten cents. We will miss watching her feed the wild birds from her porch and call to them as if they were her pets. Most of all, we will cling to the vision of Grandma Keene rocking in a chair and serenading many a precious child to sleep with her own unique lullaby, “Doodlely Doodlely Doo…”
She will be greatly missed by her loving family. She is survived by her daughters, Bernice DeYoung (Ivan) of Benton and Dorothy Traister (Wes) of Mercersburg, PA; her brother Leon Lovell (Gayla) of Benton; her six grandchildren Andy (Angela), Bruce (Ingrid), Bill (Cheryl), Cara (Lou), Keena (Steve), Libby (Chris); eleven great-grandchildren David (Cassie), Zack, Kevin, Luke, Elizabeth, Maggie, Mary, Emma, Wes, Lilly and Layla; and other relatives and friends.
Her visitation will be held Monday, February 29, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at Roller-Ballard Funeral Home (315-4047) in Benton.
Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Smith-Rosemont Memorial Park in Benton.
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