Obituary of A. Deborah Melom McKeown

A. Deborah Melom McKeown, age 94, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, April 23, 2018, at her daughter’s home in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, with several of her children in attendance.

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 A.M. on June 23, 2018, at St. Gerard Church, 9600 Regent Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota; refreshments to follow.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.taylorfuneralhome.net.

Deb was born September 29, 1923, in Ruso, North Dakota, and grew up in Sacred Heart and Montevideo, Minnesota; graduating from Montevideo High School and the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis.

She met William Francis McKeown on an ice skating rink in Montevideo. They married in 1945 in San Diego, California, while William was stationed in the Navy.  After WWII, they moved back to the Midwest, settling in Montevideo, St. Louis Park, and back to Montevideo, as William followed work with the Milwaukee Railroad.  She excelled as a nurse and worked at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital, in the intensive care unit, while living in St. Louis Park. She continued in the nursing profession, at Luther Haven in Montevideo and at Granite Manor in Granite Falls, before retiring.

Deb was an outstanding cook and a wonderful mother and grandmother.

She is survived by Faye Cavanaugh, Champlin, MN; Debbie (Jack) Daughters, Sioux Falls, SD; Sue (Denny) Thorson, Ramsey, MN; Pat (Terri) McKeown, St. Croix Falls, WI; Marty (Sandy) McKeown, Albertville, MN; Cindy (Doug) Gregoire, Champlin, MN; Lisa (Kelly) Thompson, Encinitas, CA; Lori (Doug) Galuk, Wisconsin Rapids, WI; 30 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Jenny McKeown; brother-in-law, Peter Oie; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

Deb is preceded in death by her husband; her parents, Idan and Hulda Melom; her siblngs: Jessie Melom, Miriam Oie, and Obed Melom; sisters-in-law: Jean Melom, Jane McKeown, and Jean McKeown; brothers-in-law: Jack McKeown, Byron McKeown, Thomas McKeown, and Philip McKeown; and son-in-law, Dave Cavanaugh.

Memorial donations may be made to Miracle-Ear.com/Foundation.