Robert Elmer Keyes

Mr. Robert Elmer Keyes, 90, passed away on Sunday, March 20, 2016, at Signature Healthcare at Parkwood in Lebanon. He was born on May 3, 1925, in Montgomery County, Indiana, a son of the late Ward Garth Keyes and Lucile Mamie (Marks) Keyes. He graduated from Dover High School in 1943 and attended Purdue University for a short time. On October 4, 1947, he was married to Hilda Marie (Denger) Keyes Centenary United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Indiana; she survives. A lifelong resident of the Dover community, Robert had farmed until 1959 and continued to be semi-active renting out his farmland. He then became owner of Keyes Excavating, digging small lakes and farm ponds. He had dug more than 75 lakes in Boone County before retiring in 2000. Robert was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed participating in the 4th of July and 4-H County parades, gardening and riding motorcycles. Memberships: Shannondale Presbyterian Church Thorntown Masonic Lodge 113 Indianapolis Scottish Rite Boone County Antique Tractor Club Shrine Motorcycle Competition Unit Boone County Shrine Funeral Services will be held at on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 3:00 p.m., at Myers and Hunt Mortuary, 116 West Plum Street, Thorntown, Indiana. Visitation is planned from 1:00 p.m. until time of service at the funeral home in Thorntown. Interment will follow services at Maple Lawn Cemetery in Thorntown, Indiana. Survivors: Wife: Hilda Marie Keyes – Lebanon, Indiana Children: William Robert “Bob” Keyes and wife, Cindy – Thorntown, Indiana Barbara Ohlsen – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Grandchildren: Pam Cooper Bennett – Oklahoma Jenny Cooper Sartin – Florida Michael Anderson – Delaware Brad Keyes – Lebanon, Indiana Mandy Keyes Boggs – Thorntown, Indiana Joshua Miller – Wisconsin Thirteen Great Grandchildren One Great Great Grandchild Several Nieces and Nephews Deceased: In addition to his parents, Robert was preceded in death by a daughter, Susan Kathleen Hight; brother, Thomas J. Keyes; and sister-in-law, Louise Keyes. Memorial Contributions may be made in Roberts’s honor to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Robert Elmer Keyes

May 3, 1925 - March 20, 2016