Nancy Keister

Nancy Britts Keister, 92, passed away October 8, 2012. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Grant Keister. Nancy was born in Roanoke, Virginia, on January 4, 1920. She was the youngest of eight children born to Samuel and Maggie Minter Britts. Nancy?s great grandmother, America Jefferson Minter, was directly descended from the grandfather and uncle of Thomas Jefferson. During WWII, Nancy worked for the draft board. At a USO dance held at the Hotel Patrick Henry in Roanoke, she happened to meet a handsome young soldier named Robert G. (Bob) Keister. On a whim, he asked if he could write her while he was overseas, and they corresponded for the next three years. Although they never dated, they were married two weeks after he returned from the war. Nancy and Bob moved to the Charleston area where Bob became a chemical engineer with Union Carbide Corporation. At first they lived on Eldot Street in St. Albans, and later moved to Teays Valley, where they raised five children: Kathy (Al) Lehotsky of Springfield, Ohio, Rob (Johanna) Keister and Jill (Markham) Salladé of Saint Albans, West Virginia, Angel (Floyd) Newman of Richmond, Virginia, and Rex Keister of Corpus Christi, Texas. Ten grandchildren: Marc Lehotsky, Maria (Jared) Hitchcock, Lydia Keister, Zach and Levi Sallade?, Jessica, Grant (Kelly) and Lindsay Newman, Bobby and Cory Keister and one great grandchild,-Teegan Hitchcock, all love their Grandma Beadabye. Nancy?s faith in God was evident to all who knew her, as was her love for her husband and children. A woman of great spirit and spunk, Nancy worked tirelessly to improve Putnam County Schools. She was a Girl Scout leader, spent time helping the needy, enjoyed singing in church and played the piano by heart. Bob always said that Nancy never knew a stranger, and she proved him right on their many trips abroad with the Friendship Force, where they stayed in people?s homes and learned about other cultures. They visited Russia just after Perestroika, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, Scotland, Wales and one of her favorites, Latvia, just after the country gained its independence. Everywhere they went, Nancy made friends that stayed in touch all her life. Nancy spent the last few years at Broadmore Assisted Living in Hurricane, a caring and loving place that she called home. There, she became a fiercely competitive Bingo player and was known by the Broadmore staff as a colorful and charming character, often wearing the costumes she?d collected in her overseas travels. Not long ago, she was selected as resident of the month. To say that Nancy was loved and will be missed by her many friends and family is an understatement. We welcome everyone to join us in celebrating her life at a special service in her honor. The service will be held at the Scott Depot Christ Fellowship on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Visitation will begin at 2:00 PM, with the service at 3:00 PM. A private gathering will follow later that evening at the gravesite. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Robert G. Keister College Scholarship for Engineering Students at Teays Valley Christian School, 4373 Teays Valley Road, Scott Depot, WV, 25560.