Obituaries Dec. 8

Joseph A. Keeney

Joseph A. Keeney, 91, a longtime former Albion resident and fire chief, died Nov. 11, 2016, at Henderson House Assisted Living in Colfax. A celebration of his life will be scheduled for early 2017.

Born Oct. 31, 1925, in Moscow, Idaho, his family lived in Viola, and he attended a country school. They moved to Albion, and he attended grade school at Albion and high school at Pullman where he graduated in 1944. He married Jewell Schultz in 1944, and together they raised three children. He farmed until 1953 when they moved to Albion where he bought the existing gas station. In 1964, he built a new building and operated his business for years until his retirement.

Mr. Keeney and several others were asked in 1953 to start a fire department in Albion. Joe was elected fire chief, a job he held for more than 40 years. He built the first fire wagon to haul equipment and expanded the department to six vehicles before he retired.

Following retirement, he continued to support the department and contributed to the design and construction of the new building.

His first marriage ended in divorce. He and Martha Johnson were married in 1964 and resided in Pullman for a short time before moving back to Albion. Martha added two children to the mix of kids.

They made Albion their home until moving to Whitman Senior Living in the early 2000s. They moved to Henderson House in Colfax in 2014.

Mr. Keeney served on the Albion Town Council and was a member of the Grange, Moose and Albion Heritage Society. He helped organize the first little league baseball team in Albion and umpired many county games.

Albion and the fire district on his birthday, Oct. 31, 2015, had a surprise celebration to dedicate and name the new building as the “Joe Keeney Fire Station.”

Surviving are his wife Martha; three children, Merle (Charlotte) Keeney, Susan (Will) Wintermute and Lorri (Russell) Pace; step-children Ruthie (Rich) Westerbeck and Walt (Joyce) Johnson; two sisters, Maxine (Ken) Meyers and Beverly (Owen) Boyd; grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Online condolences:

http://www.kimballfh.com

For paid obituaries, see Weekly Pages: Dec. 8

Sharon Kay O'Connor 1938-2016