Charles “Jay” Keever, age 83, of Pierre, formerly of Murdo, South Dakota, died on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at the Avera Maryhouse in Pierre.
Interment with military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. (MT) on Friday, June 21, 2024, at The Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, South Dakota.
A Celebration of Life and meal will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2024, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (CT) at the Buffalo Bar & Restaurant in Murdo, South Dakota.
Charles ‘Jay’ Keever, born on July 12, 1940, in Concord, California to Charles and Pauline (Collier) Keever, passed away on January 24, 2024. He had two older sisters, Donna (Ed) Curry and Ramona (Roy) Hight. In 1946, the Keever family moved back to White River, South Dakota, where Jay spent his childhood and teenage years. He was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church in Saint Francis, South Dakota, and graduated from White River High School in 1958. Jay then attended Southern State Teachers College.
On March 22, 1962, Jay married Louise ‘Kay’ Wedean in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shortly after their marriage, Jay was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1963, where he worked as a Nuclear Millwright on Nuclear Reactors. One of his cherished memories from the Army was honored serving as security during John F. Kennedy’s Funeral Procession. He completed his military service in 1965.
The same year, Jay and Kay returned to Pierre, South Dakota. Jay worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Oahe Dam and across a sixteen-state area, the couple also lived in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado.
In 1968, Jay and Kay welcomed their daughter, Shelly Kay, and in 1970, their son, Jason Patrick. The family moved to Murdo, SD in 1973 when Shelly started school. Jay and Kay briefly owned and operated the Buffalo Bar & Restaurant. Jay held various jobs throughout his life, including driving trucks for Kessler Trucking and being a member of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters.
In his retirement, Jay enjoyed spending time with friends at the Buffalo Bar & Restaurant in Murdo, SD, and the Chatteau in Fort Pierre, SD, catfishing on the Big White River, attending American Legion meetings and attending events to support his four grandchildren.
Jay is survived by his daughter Shelly Kay Manke (William Green) of Murdo; his son Jason Patrick Keever of Brookeland, Texas; his sister Ramona Keever Hight; his grandchildren: Cara Lynn Bovero (Coy), Kyle James Manke (Rosina), Cody Robert Manke (Ash), and Katy Jo Manke (LeNear) and his great-grandchildren: Hunter Bovero, Conner Bovero, Lincoln Bovero, James Manke, and Loretta Manke, along with several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Kay Keever, his sister Donna Curry, his sister-in-law Earlene Hullinger, and his brothers-in-law Roy Hight and Ed Curry.
Arrangements are with Rush Funeral Home of Murdo.
