John W. Keiler II, 85, a native of Paducah, died October 10, 2003, at Western Baptist Hospital.

Jack was a member of Grace Episcopal Church and a former vestryman. Jack was an entrepreneur and very civic minded. He was president and owner of Columbia Amusement and Realty Company, served as vice president of the Board of the National Association of Theater Owners and was a frequent speaker at regional and national conventions. In addition to operating movie theaters and drive-ins he was a real estate developer and builder and served as a State Director and Secretary Treasurer of The Home Builders Association of Western Kentucky.

He received many awards for outstanding service to the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce and for promotion of Paducah through the Kentucky Development Committee. He was Chairman of many Retail Merchants Association committees and he was a recipient of three awards for outstanding service. He cared deeply for the city of Paducah.

Some of the other positions Jack held were: Chairman of Service Division of the Community Chest and member of the board of directors, member of the Mayor's Special Labor Management Committee, Chairman of Business and Professional Men's division of the original Baptist Hospital Drive, former McCracken County Defense Bond Chairman, Chairman of United Negro College Fund, and member of the Rotary Club. He received the Paul Harris Fellowship award for being a loyal member for many years.

Jack also cared for the youth of Paducah. He was a member of the Executive Committee for the Boy and Girl Scouts, the first chairman of the Boy Scout Jamboree, and served two terms as the first president of Junior Achievement. For a number of years he continued the practice, started by his father, of donating letter jackets to the senior members of the Tilghman High School Football Squad. Keiler Park and Keiler Field, at Paducah Tilghman High School, were donated by the Keiler family.

Jack was also an avid sportsman. He played golf, tennis, and enjoyed sailing. He was one of the founders and the first Commodore of the Kentucky Lake Sailing Club. He was also a member of the board of governors of the Country Club of Paducah.

Most importantly, Jack was a loving husband and devoted father. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, June R. Keiler of Paducah; his two sons, John W. Keiler III of Dallas and Steve Keiler of Paducah; his daughter, Ann Whitney Whelan of Dallas, and five grandchildren.

Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13, 2003, at Grace Episcopal Church.

Friends may call between 3:00 and 5:00 today at Milner & Orr Funeral Home in Paducah.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Grace Episcopal Church, 820 Broadway, Paducah, Ky. 42001; or to the National Alzheimer's Association Louisville Chapter, 3703 Taylorsville Road, Suite 102, Louisville, Ky. 40220

The Paducah Sun

Paducah, Ky

Sunday, October 12, 2003

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