KEATING, Frances E. (Steele)

Frances Elliott Keating, 97, formerly of Oklahoma City, Okla. died May 11, 2008 in Chesterfield, Mo. Frances was born Feb. 7, 1911, in Sayre, Oklahoma to Beulah Weems (Wells) and Charles Eugene Steele. She graduated at age 16 in 1927 as valedictorian of her class at Sayre High School, attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha, Okla., for one year and then completed two years at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., before having to discontinue her studies in 1930 due to the Great Depression. She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority. She subsequently found employment at Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co., where she met her future husband, John Nicholas "Jack" Keating Jr., formerly of Chicago, Illinois. They married on Nov. 4, 1937, in the parish rectory of St. Francis of Assisi church in Oklahoma City, Okla. They had two children, Mary Frances and John Nicholas III. After many years as a homemaker, she joined the Oklahoma State Highway Department, eventually serving as secretary to several Highway Department directors. Widowed in 1973, she retired from the Highway Department in 1976 after 24 years of services. Frances' great loves were her family, dear friends, gardening and travel. With her late sister, Mary Iva McCarthy and her brother-in-law Joseph D. McCarthy, she traveled to over fifty countries. Frances loved roses, and with her husband created a large rose garden, producing a rose that won the prize for best rose shown by an amateur one year. She was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral parish. In 1993 she moved to Friendship Village, a suburban St. Louis retirement community. When infirmities caused her to more into the nursing center, she endeared herself to residents and caregivers alike with her quick wit and ready sense of humor. Her children and grandchildren cherish the legacy of her loving commitment to her family and her gentle consideration of the needs of others. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Frances Fulton (James W.) of Chesterfield, Mo.; son, John Nicholas Keating III (Sue), Sherman; four grandchildren, Katherine A. Thomas-Dietz (Dale), St. Louis, Mo., Thomas M. Fulton, El Cerrito, Calif., Lance N. Keating (Steffanye), Garland, and Blake E. Keating (Stephanie), Abilene, Texas; great-grandchildren, Monica and Elena Thomas-Dietz; Madyson, Hunter and Macye Keating; Zachary Pickens and Kristopher Keating; brother-in-law, Joseph D. McCarthy and nephew, Michael J. McCarthy (Toni), Monument, Colo.; and niece, Patricia A. Sofia (Joe), La Jolla, Calif. Services will be at 2 p.m. May 22, 2008, in Rose Hill Burial Park chapel, with visitation one hour prior to the service. The interment will be private. If desired, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church Organ Fund, 401 N. Elm, Sherman, TX 75090, Sherman Community Players, or the charity of your choice.