Robert Vincent Keeffe, age 92, died in his Shelton, Washington, home on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. He was the last surviving sibling of six children. Bob was born in Sioux City, Iowa, to his parents James and Marie Keeffe.
Career opportunity for James Keeffe eventually brought the family to the Seattle area where Bob went to Lincoln High School. Bob enlisted in the armed services during WWII and was an equipment operator in the Pacific Islands fighting the Japanese as a Seabee. Later he served as a drill sergeant during the Korean War. Bob served in both the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy.
Upon leaving the military Bob began his career driving buses and trucks and eventually met the love of his life, Joan Sierer, on a blind date. They married and had five children together while living in the Seattle area.
In 1968 Bob and Joan moved their family to Winthrop. They purchased a beautiful 60-acre property with a fully mature producing apple orchard. That same winter the orchard was destroyed by extreme winter conditions. For the next few years, Bob worked driving logging trucks but eventually left for Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1974 to drive the haul road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. Bob became an owner/operator driving the haul road for 12 years. Bob and Joan sacrificed living apart for six years waiting for their kids to graduate from high school in Winthrop before Joan finally moved to Fairbanks in 1980.
Bob and Joan retired and left Alaska in 1986 to enjoy retirement and giving of themselves to their family. They moved to their Wenatchee “dream home” in 2005 where they lived until Joan passed on July 21, 2009. In 2010 Bob moved to Shelton, where he lived with family until his passing one day shy of the seven-year anniversary of Joan’s passing. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
Preceeding Bob in death were his wife, Joan, and five siblings. Surviving are his children Noel Keeffe, Colleen Liias (Veikko), Carolyn Edson (Scott), Laurie Mcalister (Gary), Glen Keeffe (Lisa), and numerous grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at First Baptist Church in Shelton on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m.
