Marie Keenan

Marie Baird was born on June 12, 1922 in a sod house on the Baird homestead in rural Garden County. She was the last of eleven children born to Bert (Burton) George and Lena (Helena Dresp) Baird. She attended several Garden County rural schools. During the depression years between 1933 and 1936, she did not attend school in order to care for her ailing mother. When her mother died in 1936, she went to live with her brother Harry and was almost like a sister to her nephews and nieces. She took her normal training and passed her teacher’s exams as a high school junior and graduated as valedictorian of the Garden County High Class of 1942.

Marie and Donald Carl Keenan were married on April 26, 1946 in Oshkosh. Donald Keenan’s father, George, bought the Albert French place northwest of Oshkosh in November 1945 and Donald and Marie later purchased the property and continued to ranch the sandhills game refuge until 1984. In 1961, Donald and Marie adopted Gerald Lee Beem of Hyannis and changed his name to Jerry Lee Keenan.

Marie taught at several country schools in Garden, Grant and Morrill Counties for 31 years. She attended summer school at Chadron State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1971. Donald and Marie enjoyed the ranching life and community including cattle drives, brandings and country dances. Marie had a great love for animals.

After leaving the ranch in 1984, Marie lived in Oshkosh and Bayard before joining the family at Heritage of Bridgeport in April of 2001. She enjoyed reading (history and current events) and writing letters with proper penmanship in her early years at the Heritage and more recently watching animal television shows and sharing in activities at Skyview.

Marie took her final happy and peaceful breath at bedtime on Monday, February 1, 2016 at the Skyview at Bridgeport.

Marie is survived by her son Jerry Keenan (Belva) of Ft. Collins, CO and numerous nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, five brothers and five sisters.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Holechek Funeral Home in Oshkosh, Nebraska with the Rev. Kathy Montira officiating. Burial will be in the Ash Creek Cemetery near Lewellen, Nebraska.

Visitation will be held one hour before services at the funeral home.

Memorials can be made to Skyview at Bridgeport or the American Diabetes Association.