Iva Imogene Keeling

Kornegay Funeral Home is posting the following obituary as a courtesy to the family of Iva Imogene Keeling.
Iva Imogene Keeling, 99, formerly of Charleston, passed away on October 3, 2025. Iva, affectionately called Imy by her friends and Mammaw by her grandchildren, was born April 3, 1926 in Nitro, WV, to Truman and Edna Wilkinson. She lived in Nitro when she met the love of her life, Arch Keeling. It has been said that he saw Imogene ride by on a bicycle and he told his brothers that he was going to marry this beautiful young woman with coal black hair. That moment was the beginning of a lifetime of love between Arch and Imogene as they soon got married. Imogene was a young bride and was steadfast in her love for Arch through the difficult time when he served in the army during WWII. They had three children, Nanci, Jo and Mark and lived in Coopers Creek, Littlepage Terrace, and Charleston where they remained for many years. Arch and Imogene embraced life, had fun, and worked hard to provide for their three children. Imogene worked at Stone and Thomas for nearly 30 years. She was a store detective and then she was promoted to store security. In the early 70's, Imogene retired and she and Arch built their dream home and moved to Ripley, WV. They lived there for approximately 10 years and then moved back to Charleston. They stayed in Charleston until 1991 when they moved to South Carolina to be near Mark and his family where Imogene has resided until her passing. After Arch's passing in 2008, she lived in Camden, South Carolina with her daughter, Jo.
Imogene's near century of life was filled with love and laughter. She loved children and especially her grandchildren. She always had a family pet, dogs and cats alike. Her pets became members of her family and were just as spoiled. Birds were another favorite of hers and she was partial to the WV's state bird, the Cardinal. In fact, she always had a collection of bird figurines on display. She loved square dancing with Arch, throwing parties, sunbathing, and traveling. She travelled with her husband to the Rolling W reunions in Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, Florida, and many other states. At these reunions Imogene and Arch oversaw the hospitality room which both of them thoroughly enjoyed. She also traveled to California yearly to visit Jo as well as Nanci and her daughters. Imogene loved summer and sunbathing and could often be found doing such at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or at Desert Hot Springs, California.
Imogene was very patriotic and always had the American flag flying at her home. She was a proud Army wife and mother of a sailor (Mark) in the U.S. Navy, both of whom served their countries in times of war. She was also a huge fan of America's favorite past-time, baseball. She followed the Cincinnati Reds for many years and when she moved to South Carolina she became a huge Braves fan. If there was a baseball game on TV, Imogene was surely watching it.
Imogene was a woman of faith having previously been a member of the Church of Christ for many years. In her own words, she always tried to live her life right and be a good person.
To Imogene's family she represented strength, resilience, and fortitude. She could turn any family gathering into something special! Her spirit was bold and full of life. She laughed easily, loved deeply, and will be greatly missed.
She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Arch Keeling, daughter Nanci Keeling, and granddaughter Heidi Hetzer. She is survived by her daughter Jo Keeling, her son Mark Keeling and his wife Diane, granddaughter Keeli (John) Mazich, granddaughter Melissa (Matt) MacIntyre, 5 great grandchildren, and 4 great- great grandchildren.
A celebration of her life will be held at Hafer Funeral Home from noon to 1:30 on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 50 N Pinch Rd, Elkview, WV 25071. Burial will be immediately following at Woody Cemetery, in Pinch, WV.
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