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Portrait of Charles Melvin Keeton
In loving memory of

Charles Melvin Keeton

August 18, 1944 – September 24, 2021
Lived 77 years
Woodside Cemetery & Arboretum · Middletown, Ohio
"A man who loved his family above all and knew the true value of time"
Life story

Charles was born in Boyd County Kentucky on August 18 1944 to Leslie and Della Keeton.

He met the love of his life, Betty at a skating rink in Flatwoods Kentucky. They eloped just two weeks later on February 27 1964 in Clintwood, Virginia. They were married for 57 years. They were blessed with 4 children Terry, Christina, Michael & Vicky.

He was a proud papaw to 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Charles worked at AK Steele for 32 years as an inspector before he retired.

He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 1987. He was a fighter and fought hard. He was in remission for years. He needed a kidney transplant in 2010. He and his daughter Christina underwent a successful transplant procedure on July 1 of that year.

He was a warrior and lived for 11 more years.

Charles passed on September 24 2021. He developed sepsis a little over 3 weeks after having a heart procedure at the end of August of that year. Jesus decided it was time for him to come home.

Charles loved to go deer hunting. He owned a place in Marietta Ohio that he and his boys would go to each year during hunting season. There were many memories made there over the years at “deer camp”.

One of his favorite hobbies was gardening. He looked forward to planting seeds in the garden every Spring. He loved his garden. There were times when he wasn’t feeling well enough to tend to it that he would just sit in his truck and look at the garden.

He loved to go to yard sales. Often times, He would stop and pick up a piece of junk that was sitting on the side of the road. He always thought he could make a few bucks off of it. And a lot of the time, he could.

The biggest thing Charlie was known for was that he could talk to anyone. He loved to tell stories. He loved to tell stories about the good old days when he was young. He was always a jokester!

He is loved and missed every single day. He left a huge imprint on everyone who ever knew him. He is a true legend.

Photos
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Charles’s life, in a printed book

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Videos
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The world Charles knew

Family milestones in gold, history for context

1944
Born August 18
1945
Charles was 1 when World War II ended
1957
Charles was 13 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik
1964
Charles & Betty’s Wedding
1967
Charles was 23 when the first Super Bowl was played
1976
Charles was 32 when America celebrated its Bicentennial
1981
Charles was 37 when MTV began broadcasting
1995
Charles was 51 when "Toy Story" became the first fully computer-animated film
2004
Charles was 60 when Facebook was launched
2014
50th Wedding Anniversary
2014
Charles was 70 when the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral
2020
Charles was 76 when SpaceX launched astronauts into orbit for the first time
2021
Passed away September 24, age 77
Tributes and memories

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terrin simpson 14w

meeting papaw

Trace “officially” met papaw for the first time a few weeks ago ❤️

Photo shared by terrin simpson
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Christina Salek 32w

The reason…

I decided to make this page so that whenever anyone visits dad’s grave, they would have a way to see so much more than just the dash dates on his head stone. My feelings have always been very adamant that I want everyone who sees dad’s headstone to know that he was (and still is) very loved by the way we care for his gravesite. This is just a small way we can do that. Other ways are keeping the Saddles on top of his headstone beautiful and current to the Seasons. I love celebrating his birthday and father’s day too❣️ These things are just small ways that I honor the legacy of my Dad. I love him with all of my heart. Always, Christina

Photo shared by Christina Salek
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Middletown, Ohio
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