Rose Eva Keck, 77
Rose Eva Keck, 77, "passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord" after suffering with COPD. She fought a long and difficult battle against Spinal Stenosis.
Her funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006, at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church, with Rowlie Hutton officiating. A fellowship luncheon will be held at the church immediately after the services. Cremation will take place after the service and a private family interment will be held.
Memorial contributions in Rose's honor may be made to the Havre Senior Center, 2 2nd St. W., Havre MT 59501. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland and Bonine Funeral Home.
Rose was born March 1, 1929, to Ward and Essie (McCreary) Keith of Chinook, on the family homestead, the youngest of seven children. She was raised and educated in Chinook. After high school she moved to Great Falls, Montana and worked for Paul's Caf/.
She met and married Bill Shupe, and they had two daughters, Essie and Toni. The couple later divorced. Rose married Bill Keck, and they had one son, Joseph.
Rose and Bill settled in Kalispell where they raised their children. They started the first pizza restaurant in Kalispell and put in the Pizza Oven in Moose's Saloon in Kalispell. Rose and Bill moved to Washington State in 1973. Bill retired and they settled in Blaine, Wash., where they opened a New and Used Store. Rose moved back to Montana in 1992 and settled in Havre. Rose kept busy volunteering at the North Central Senior Center, traveling and following her grandson's football career and son-in-law's coaching career.
Rose wrote poems, articles for the newspaper and was a published poet. She loved to sing, but couldn't carry a tune. She would turn the radio up sing loud and everyone would laugh! She played pool at the Senior Center and loved dancing. Rose had more love and compassion in her heart, and she never met anyone that she didn't find some good in.
Rose was very proud of being a grandmother and loved watching her great-great grandson T.J. play baseball. She taught her grandchildren to play Crazy Eights and enjoyed watching them grow into wonderful loving adults. There wasn't a secret or problem that her children or grandchildren didn't come to her with, and most of the time she was able to solve them with understanding, love and wisdom. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister, wife and friend. She will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to have known her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands' Bill Shupe and Bill Keck, one son Joseph Keck, grandson Rusty St. Dennis, a granddaughter in-law Glenda St. Dennis, and brothers Ernest Keith, Donald Keith and Harry Keith.
Rose is survived by her two daughters, Essie St. Dennis of Havre, and Toni (Scott) Sward of Bakersfield, Calif.; stepson Darrell (Jeannie) Keck of Shelby; grandsons: Joe St. Dennis of Havre, and Dan (Kim) Sward of Bakersfield; granddaughter, Jamie St. Dennis, of Havre; step-grandchildren, Jim, Wendy, Mary Beth, Sandra Rose and Christopher Keck; great-grandchildren, Jessica (Eric) Schweigert, Shannon St. Dennis, and Shelby, Darby and Brady Sward; great-great-grandchildren, T.J., Hunter, Samatha and Tucker; brother, Bill ( Arlie) Keith, of Nampa, Idaho; sisters, Jean Petaja of Lewistown, and Mary Ellen Canoy of Great Falls; plus numerous nieces and nephews.