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Juanita Grace Keister died on July 23, 2013, in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the age of 96.
She was born Nov. 22, 1916, in Bippus, Ind., (Huntington County), the daughter of Myrtle Tobias Ziegler and Cyrus Ziegler.
She married Howard Homer Keister on March 6, 1935, in Fort Wayne, Ind., and they welcomed their daughter, Marlene, in 1936.
Juanita and her husband were the picture of the mid-western work ethic. They owned and managed businesses throughout their marriage, including drug stores in South Whitley, Ind.; Michigan City, Ind.; and Sturgis, Mich.
In Sturgis, Juanita owned and managed a restaurant and soda fountain adjacent to their Walgreen Agency Drug Store for over 20 years, providing delicious homemade food 365 days a year to local residents and visitors.
After their retirement in 1984, Juanita and Howard travelled for four years, and delighted in living nearly full-time in their small travel trailer as they explored the country. While in Sturgis, they were active members of the Assembly of God Church. After Howard’s death in 1988, Juanita relocated to Kokomo, Ind. to be near her daughter Marlene and her family. She continued to travel while also becoming an active member of her church (New Life Assembly of God) and a frequent volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
In 2004, Juanita relocated with her daughter to Colorado Springs, Colo. Ever active, she volunteered weekly at Compassion International, attended Christian Business Women’s meetings, socialized with the residents at her senior living facility, and participated in worship at her local Assembly of God church. Juanita dearly loved her family.
She is survived by her daughter, Marlene Fields-Kingman; her son-in-law, Frank Kingman; her grand-daughters, Cheryl Fields Tyler, Shawna Fields, and Dacia Fields-Chambers; sons-in-law Tom Tyler and Tim Chambers; and great-grandchildren Sage and Maya Tyler and Simeon and Jadyn Chambers. Her husband (Howard) and son-in-law, Don Fields, preceded her in death. In addition, Juanita had two brothers Dever Ziegler and Wilbur Ziegler, both from Huntington County, Indiana, who preceded her in death.
Visitation with the family will be at Ellers Mortuary Webster Street Chapel, 3400 South Webster St., Kokomo on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 from 10 a.m. – noon. Services will be graveside at Fairview Cemetery in North Manchester, Ind., at 2 p.m. with Pastor Randy Blankenship officiating.
You may read Juanita’s obituary at www.ellersmortuary.com where you can sign the guestbook, order flowers, or share a personal message to the family.
