William Henry Keeler

1950 - 2022

William Henry Keeler, Sunrise 5-21-1950 - Sunset 1-29-2022. William Henry Keeler departed this life on Saturday, January 29, 2022, in New Orleans, LA. He was the beloved son of the late John Willie and Johnnie Mae Keeler. He was the father of Michael Haney and the late Marvin Haney, grandfather of Tiamane Haney, brother of Vernes Keeler, Sr., Patricia McElveen, Anthony Keeler, Belinda Keeler, Prather Jury, Wayne Bouie and the late John Keeler, Jr. He was the companion of Cynthia Powell and father figure to Joseph, Gerald, and Gregory Powell. William is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends. In July 1979, William was one of Vern's first employees who worked as a truck driver at the construction site of Gordon Plaza's Senior Citizen facility. In October 1981, William worked on another construction site at the Hilton Towers located at the foot of Poydras in downtown New Orleans. In early 1982, William was motivated to become an entrepreneur and he purchased his first dump truck. After Hurricane Katrina, he relocated to Dallas, Texas where he was often seen wearing a cowboy hat. He then became known as "The Texas Keeler" which was written across the front of the hat he wore. He lived at an apartment complex in Dallas with his late son, Marvin Haney. He was known at that apartment complex as Popi by many of his Spanish friends. William was always full of laughter and joy and known by many New Orleanians as "Cheese" because he was always smiling, showing his teeth. With no music playing, he would break out in a dance and a song in a New York second. This would be one of his hilarious moments. While William remained in Dallas, Vern made many trips to visit with him. He was happy to see his brother, Vern. Vern brought him gifts or whatever he thought William would enjoy having in his possession. These moments will never be forgotten. William talked often about how he loved attending Bible Study and Church service. The Church provided him with transportation to and from to make sure he was always able to attend. He often expressed how nice the people were and it was there, he learned scriptures that he was happy to quote back to us. Relatives, Friends, Pastors, Officers, and Members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, Believers' Temple of Faith (formally known as Lowerlight B.C.), Battleground Baptist Church, and employees of V. Keeler and Associates are invited to attend the Memorial Service at Believers' Temple of Faith, 4422 Ray Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70126 on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at 10:30 a.m.