Gary Keefe

Monday, January 30, 2023 2:51 am

Gary D Keefe followed the Angels to his new home on Dec. 12, 2022, at Winneshiek Medical Center, with his beloved daughter by his side.

A celebration of Life and Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday February 4, 2023, at St Benedict’s Church, 307 West Main Street, Decorah. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service at the church.

Burial and luncheon will take place at St Bridget’s Cemetery and Parish Hall, 3094 253rd Ave, Ridgeway (Bluffton) directly after the funeral. Helms Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Memorials may be sent to his daughter, Katy Wood, at 3591 235th Ave, Decorah IA 52101.

Gary was born on March 22, 1953, to William and Marcella (Kelly) Keefe. He graduated from Decorah High School and attended Area One in Calmar, completing 1 year in bookkeeping. He then took a job with Larry Sharp Trucking and worked there for several years.  In 1981 he met and was united in marriage with Debra (Vopava) Keefe. In 1982 he and Debra moved to Houston, Texas where he learned the carpet cleaning profession. They returned to Decorah one year later, and Gary established his own cleaning business “Keefe Carpet Cleaning.” 

He was known for his determination and tenacity in getting carpets clean. In 1986 Gary and Debra welcomed their only child, a daughter, Katy into their lives.G ary was extremely proud of his lovely daughter. Gary was later divorced from Debra in 1995.

He retired from the carpet cleaning business and worked at various jobs before going to work for QCI, Inc. in Oelwein helping them to provide services such as Supportive Community Living and Respite Care to members of the community. While employed there, he especially enjoyed mentoring several male clients with various disabilities, taking them swimming, bowling, to movies, county fairs, and such. He was honored to work with these boys and loved his work and all the wonderful people he worked for. He moved to West Union after meeting and marrying Janet (Batterson) Keefe in 2017. Together they enjoyed dancing and traveling, especially to CUBS games at Wrigley Field and trips to the ocean. He found a special kind of peace by the ocean.  He loved anything pertaining to his Irish heritage, trout fishing, cats, and Ford Mustangs. He took many “therapy cruises” around the area in his beloved Mustangs.  Unfortunately, Janet passed away suddenly in 2018.

Gary was a faithful man and devout member of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church. He was an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous and had been sober for 41 years. Per his readings from AA, he knew that God had something better in store for him and he was making himself ready for it.  He was also well known for his witty and quirky sense of humor, putting a smile on every face he encountered. He always made you think of things in the way he saw them, which may have been a little out there at times but was always coming from a good place.

Gary is survived and will be sorely missed by his daughter Katy (Garrison) Wood II and Grandson Garrison Wood III of Burr Oak, sister Mary Johnson of Huntley, Ill., three nephews Marc (Melissa) Johnson and their children Allie, Owen, and Ethan of Crystal Lake, Ill, Mike (Julia) Johnson and their daughter Sarah of Elgin Ill., and David (Joan) Kaffine and their children Meghan, Christopher, and Nick, of North Billerica, MA, Debra Keefe of Burr Oak, and several cousins and friends, especially Bill W. and Dr. Bob.

He was preceded in death by his father William, mother Marcella, brother Larry, wife Janet and brother-in-law Tom.