Obituary of James R. Keefe

James R. Keefe, 83, of 5245 Route 474, Ashville, NY went home to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at 7:45 p.m. on Monday, December 27, 2010 in Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing. He was born April 20, 1927 at his family farm house in Lakewood, NY, a son of the late John and Clara Foss Keefe. He attended Lakewood School and in his junior year joined the US Navy Sea Bees. He served during World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific and Guam. Jim was presented with his Honorary High School Graduation Certificate on the occasion of his 75th birthday. In earlier years he was employed by the former Jenkins Dairy. He then worked for Dairylea as a route foreman for 19 years until 1974. In later years he was employed by Holiday Harbor, Sprinchorn & Co. and drove CARTS Bus for the Resource Center until fully retiring in 2006. Jim was a past member of Hillcrest Baptist Church where he had been a youth leader, Deacon, Sunday school teacher and treasurer. He was currently a member of Lakewood Baptist Church. He belonged to the Lakewood-Busti Golden Agers and the Lakewood Memorial Post #1286 American Legion. He loved being around his family and friends and also enjoyed deer hunting and building and remodeling several different homes over the years. Jim is survived by his wife of 63 years, Dawn Eggleston Keefe whom he married September 20, 1947; five children: Dan (Rosemarie) Keefe, Tom (Nancy) Keefe, Dave (Robin) Keefe, James (Cindy) Keefe Jr. and Karen (Todd) Beals; twelve grandchildren: Todd (Wendy) Keefe, Traci (Jim) Curtis, Michelle (Paul) Mattson, Lisa (JR) Price, Lori (Dario) Mistretta, Jeremy (Jen) Keefe, Amber Osgood, Christina Colon, Dawn White, Andrew Keefe, Breanna (Jared) Newton and Brandon Beals; eighteen great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Doris Rendell and Jeanne Greene. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Adam Keefe; four brothers, John, Ernest, Donald and Robert Keefe; and two sisters, Virginia Fischer and Carol Larson. The funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday in the Lind Funeral Home. The Rev Daniel W. Cook will officiate. Burial will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery. Friends will be received from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday and for one hour prior to the service in the funeral home Friday. Memorials may be made to Lakewood Baptist Church, 150 Erie St., Lakewood, NY 14750; or the Jamestown Community Chapel, 35 Camp St., Jamestown, NY 14701.