James Keeter

Jim Keeter, 87, of St. Lawrence, went home to be with the Lord Sunday, July 3, 2022, at the Good Samaritan Society in Miller.

Celebration of life will be 12:00 p.m., Sunday, July 24, 2022, at the Beulah Church, rural St. Lawrence, with Rev. Teresa Whetsel, officiating.  Burial will follow at the Beulah Cemetery.  Please bring a lawn chair as the service will be held outside.  Following the burial, everyone is invited to Carr Farms for lunch and fellowship.

Jim was born May 16, 1935, to Harvey Ray and Opal Keeter in Catoosa, Oklahoma. Jim grew up in Catoosa with his younger brother, Kenny, and was very proud of his Okie heritage. Being born in the middle of the Great Depression and growing up in war time America had a great impact on Jim.  After attending Oklahoma State University for a year, pursuing a veterinary degree, he was uncertain of his career choice and decided to join the United States Marine Corps in 1955.  He found the Marines to be challenging, but it fit his character and beliefs.  The kids often heard his mantras while they tried to reach his high work standards. Things like: “you’re burning daylight”, “get your hands out of your pockets”, and “quit your lollygagging and get to work!”.

Jim’s faith in God, (that began at the First Baptist Church of Catoosa), his hard work ethic, and stalwart ideals would all prove vital to his life journey.

While based in San Diego, he met the love of his life Dawn Elaine (Borota) Keeter.  They were married March 24, 1959.  They returned to Oklahoma where Jim would graduate from Tulsa University with a business degree.  In Tulsa, they welcomed their first daughter, Laura, and then a job with Sears took them to Buffalo, New York, where they were able to be near Dawn’s mother and have their second daughter, Julie. A job transfer took them to Warren, Ohio where Jimmy was born.  Finally, a move to Washington, Pennsylvania brought a new job with Seal Test Milk and their youngest daughter, Della. In 1969, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Jim worked for the Great Western Sugar Company.

In 1975, Jim had a cerebral hemorrhage. This, along with changes at the GW Sugar Co., pushed him and Dawn to reconsider his career path in business. A friend presented him with an opportunity and Jim moved and worked in Antigua, West Indies for one year with AAI-CPS, a governmental program helping the local farmers switch from sugar cane to the production of corn.  In 1977, the family moved to Scottsbluff, NE to pursue full time farming. Jim loved it!  Jim and Jimmy farmed there for over ten years, but by 1988 the markets were down, and land prices were up, and Jim and Dawn decided to move home to Oklahoma to be near Jim’s mother.

Though he wasn’t farming in Oklahoma, Jim traveled to South Dakota for three months each year to help with planting and harvest at his son’s farm. Jim and Dawn were married for 55 years before Dawn passed away in 2015 and Jim moved to South Dakota permanently.

Jim’s 87 years were full of challenges and hard work. But no matter what he did or where he lived, his love for farming was evident.  He had beautiful gardens wherever he lived and many people were blessed by the bounty of his hard work. 

Jim accepted Jesus Christ as his savior at a young age and Jim would find his faith in Jesus invaluable throughout his life. While living in Oklahoma, Jim and Dawn were longtime members of Hilldale Baptist Church in Claremore, OK.  Upon making his home in South Dakota, Jim attended the Methodist church in Miller with his son and family.  He loved his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren abundantly!  He always had a kid or grandkid in his lap or just wanted them to sit near him to watch a western or go for a drive in his ranger.  Though not always spoken, his words of love were evident in so many ways.

He leaves behind his daughter, Laura (Chad) Cooney of Arthur, NE; daughter, Julie Keeter of Miller, SD; son, Jim (Chris) Keeter of St. Lawrence, SD; and daughter, Della (Bob) Stallard of Decatur, TX; grandchildren: Savanah Cooney, Annie (Landon) Gatzke, Austin Stallard, Emily (Carlos) Gutierrez, Ethan (Chelsey) Stallard, and Cole (Hope) Stallard; great grandchildren: Wyatt Stallard, Sarah Gutierrez, Jack Stallard and two more on the way.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents: Harvey Ray and Opal Keeter; brother, Ken Keeter; beloved wife, Dawn; and grandson, Beau Keeter.

Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with Jim's arrangements.