VERNON KEAIRNES

1923 - 2021

Vernon "Zeke" Keairnes April 1, 1923 - January 3, 2021 Vernon "Zeke" Keairnes, age 97, of Watertown, SD, passed away on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at a local care center. There will be a private family graveside service on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Pastor Dan Ofstehage will officiate. Military graveside honors will be conducted by the Funeral Honors Team of the U.S. Navy. Zeke was born on April 1, 1923, to Ward and Marie (Birkhofer) Keairnes, at Dow City, IA. He attended school in Dow City. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines but was rejected, then was drafted by the U.S. Army and also rejected for the same reason, which was a spot on his lung. He was eventually accepted into the U.S. Navy, where he served on the destroyer escort ship "USS French" in the South Pacific during World War II. Zeke and his other six brothers all served in the military. On May 21, 1949, Zeke was united in marriage to Marcella (Sally) Weber, in Denison, IA. While living in Iowa, Zeke worked in road maintenance for Crawford County, eventually moving to South Dakota in 1974, where he worked for Codington County Road Maintenance. Zeke worked full time until he was in his mid-seventies. He was a hard worker his whole life. He enjoyed flowers and gardening and listening to baseball on the radio, and everyone knew he didn't like butter and cheese. Zeke was a great caregiver to his wife Sally, keeping her at home as long as he could. Zeke always said he wanted to live to be 96 like his grandpa. Zeke is survived by his children, Dennis (Teresa) Keairnes of Denison, IA and LouAnn (Bill) Clark of Watertown, SD; three grandchildren: Krystle (Don) Manning, Kelley (Nate) VanLaecken, and Philip Keairnes (fiancé Andrea Hart); six great-grandchildren: Tori, Adalyn, Maverick, Rhett, Nora and Wren; two brothers, Daryl Keairnes of Bellevue, NE and George (Terry) Keairnes of Palm Bay, FL; one sister, Helen McCoid of Vail, IA; his in-laws, Carl (Barb) Weber of Watertown, SD, Joyce Weber of Watertown, SD and Fern Hoffman of Adair, IA; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally; his parents: four brothers, Dick, Robert and Marvin and Ronald; and one sister, Lois. Arrangements by Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel www.crawfordosthus.com