Donald C. Keeney

After five weeks of celebrating his life with family and friends at Angela Hospice in Livonia, Michigan, Donald C. Keeney passed peacefully in his sleep at the age of 88 on March 22, 2026. During his time at Angela Hospice Donald enjoyed going out for meals with family and sharing stories from his life.

Born on June 9, 1937, in Wayne, Nebraska to the late Dorothy (Gildersleeve) Keeney and the late Virgil Keeney and raised in Redford Township, Michigan. He was proceeded in death by his beautiful wife of nearly 63 years Loretta (Oesterle) Keeney and his brothers Stanley Keeney and Charles Keeney. Donald is survived by his sons, Donald (Connie) Keeney Jr. and Kevin (Beth) Keeney; daughters, Tammy (Edward) Kessler and Jennifer (Christopher) Uratchko; brothers, Larry (Gladah) Keeney and Dennis (Sally) Keeney; and sister Dianne Bates; grandchildren, Elissa (Tony) Lowry, Megan Keeney, Kyle (Sarah) Keeney, Laura (Eric) Higinbotham, Sandra (Sean) Dougherty, James (Heather) Kessler, Jason Kessler, Jacob (Heather) Uratchko, and Sarah (Noah) Owen; great-grandchildren, Natasha Lowry, Griffin Keeney, Dominic and Montgomery Dougherty, Leah and Odin Kessler, Everleigh and Lillianna Uratchko, and Elizabeth and Madison Owen.

Donald was a devoted husband and father. Having married and started a family at a young age, he worked hard at various jobs and eventually worked as an engineer at Ford Motor Company for 31 years before retiring. He devoted countless hours to maintaining and improving his home, taking great pride in doing things the right way. Donald was a devout Christian and longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church in Redford, Michigan, where he faithfully served in many roles.
Golf was one of his great pleasures, especially when shared with family and friends. He and his beloved wife Loretta brought their shared vision to life, building a beautiful Victorian dream home on four acres. It was here that they lived out their later years, taking care of his mother, father-in-law, grandchildren, and hosting family gatherings. He enjoyed maintaining his four acres of lawn and was still mowing it himself up to his 88th birthday.

We'll miss the conversations we had about life, family, travels, sports, and current events. We will forever miss his warm, comforting bear hugs. Our family has been richly blessed—not only by love and care for one another, but by having an extraordinary role model in our father. Donald was the strong foundation of our family and meant the world to many people and will be deeply missed.

A deep thank you to the staff at Angela Hospice for making his final earthly days comfortable and to all the family and friends who extended their love to him.

Friends and family are welcome to attend a memorial service, officiated by Pastor Timothy Halboth, on Saturday, April 25 with visitation starting at 9:00 a.m. followed by the memorial service at 10:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 25630 Grand River Ave., Redford. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Grace Lutheran Church.