Obituary of John Keys

John Lee Keys was born in Jonesboro, Tennessee on June 11, 1932. He was one of seven children born from the union of the late George Keys and the late Leona (Garst) Keys. Following high school John enlisted in the military serving his country honorably as a member of the United States Army. He married the love of his life the former Norma Essary on December 24, 1950. From this union would come the birth of three beautiful children. For more than twenty-seven years, John provided for his family as a HI-Lo Operator employed by Ford Motor Company in Monroe. John was a long-time member of Monroe Missionary Baptist Church. He was also active with the Monroe Moose Lodge 884, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1139, and Fraternal Order of the Eagles in Monroe. John was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed gardening and had a passion for his long stem roses. He also loved to hunt and raised many great hunting dogs. John loved speed, having a lead foot himself and was a NASCAR fan. John Lee Keys, age 83 of Monroe, passed away at 9:45am on Monday, September 21, 2015 at Fountainview of Monroe. In addition to his parents, his passing was preceded by his wife: Norma, and four siblings. To cherish his memory, John leaves his dear companion: Helen Riehle of Monroe; two sons: Greg (Brenda) Keys of Texas and John (Pamela ) Keys II of Newport; one daughter: Joan (Gary) Wolfe of Monroe; one sister: Jenny (Junior) Briggs of Jonesboro, TN; one brother: Dave (Dorothy) Keys of Jonesboro, TN; four grandchildren: Stacee Keys, Patrick Keys, Andrew Keys, and Coty Wolfe; and one great-grandchild: Charlotte Keys. Friends may gather on Thursday, September 24, 2015 from 5:00pm until 8:00pm at Merkle Funeral Service; South Monroe, 14567 South Dixie Highway (734) 241-7070. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00am on Friday, September 25, 2015, also at Merkle's. Reverend Roy Southerland, pastor of Monroe Missionary Baptist Church will officiate. Procession will follow to Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle for burial where graveside services will be under the auspices of Monroe Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1138. In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society. Online guests may leave words of comfort and inspiration by visiting www.merklefs.com and then selecting the Online Tributes page.