Keeter, Mary Evelyn 

As that very special generation of young Americans were paying the dear price of 
freedom across the world, Mary Evelyn Campbell was born into it on September 5, 
1942, in Center, Texas. Mary was the second daughter of Emmett and Twila Campbell. 
On February 21, 2005, at the age of 63, Mary passed through the gates of Heaven to 
rejoin her parents there and as she had for so long yearned, to look upon the face 
of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Mary is survived by her husband of 40 years, 
Phillip Keeter of Longview; her daughter, Carrie Keeter Terry and husband, Tanner, 
of Lewisville; her son, Joseph Benjamin Keeter of Hawkins; and two grandchildren, 
Noah Benjamin Terry and Bethany Nichole Terry. She is also survived by her sister, 
Carolyn Campbell Brown and husband, Bill, of Longview; and a host of beloved nephews, 
nieces, and cousins. Mary had the good fortune to be born into a Christian home in a 
small East Texas town in an age of innocence the likes of which may not be seen again. 
She was surrounded by a large number of extended family in a community of caring 
neighbors where common good was the fabric of life. Her childhood was rich with 
friendships, the bonds of which she nurtured and maintained throughout the years, 
and the strength of which sustained her until the end of her life. Her love of her 
hometown, Center, and of Shelby County proper never left Mary. One of the many 
accomplishments in her life, and one of which she was especially proud, was her 
production of a colorful historical map of Shelby County. Approximately one thousand 
limited edition prints of this map were sold, and a good portion of the proceeds were 
donated by Mary to the Shelby County Historical Society. For so long as these prints 
hang on the walls of others with ties to Shelby County, Mary will live on, depicted 
as the little red haired girl on roller skates skating the sidewalks of the Town 
Square in Center. Mary graduated from Center High School in 1960 and attended Stephen 
F. Austin State University for two years before transferring to the University of 
Texas at Austin. She graduated from UT in 1964, and was a first grade teacher until 
her daughter, Carrie, was born. She was married to Phillip on December 18, 1965, and 
they moved to Longview with their family in 1981, and the family has remained here 
since that time. For so long as her health permitted, Mary loved outdoor activities, 
including tennis, fishing, and looking for arrowheads and other archaic artifacts 
along the river at the family's ranch in Central Texas. She loved sitting at her window 
and watching her two favorite squirrels, which she named Merle and Earl, play in her 
back yard. And she loved to read her Bible every day and before bedtime every night, 
without fail. Mary was a good mother, a good wife, and a good friend to all who knew 
her. She took great delight in her grandchildren when they came into her life. But 
above all else, Mary was a wonderful testimony to the Christian spirit. She loved the 
gospel and the promises she found there. She loved to share that gospel and the 
promises of salvation with her friends, and from her faith came the strength that 
carried her through the many battles she fought as her health failed. She was a 
living testimony to all who knew her. Mary was somewhat ecumenical, being a member 
of the First United Methodist Church of Longview, attending Winterfield United 
Methodist Church in recent years and loving perhaps most her time spent in the 
fellowship of the Precepts Sunday School Class at the First Baptist Church of 
Longview. The Keeter family wishes to thank the staff of LifeCare Hospice of 
Longview, Dr. Bob Sansom, Dr. Dan Polter and staff at Baylor Medical Center, and 
all of the family's friends and acquaintances who helped make Mary's journey home 
an easier one. A celebration of Mary Keeter's life will be held 2 p.m. Friday, 
February 24, 2006, at the First United Methodist Church of Longview, with the 
Reverend Mike Lindstrom officiating and the Reverend Jerry Turner assisting. Burial 
in Rosewood Park, under the direction of Rader Funeral Home, will follow. Visitation 
with the family will be held 6-8 p.m. this evening, February 23, 2006, at Radar 
Funeral Home. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to LifeCare 
Hospice of Longview; or to either FUMC Longview, or Winterfield UMC. A memorial 
guestbook may be signed online at www.raderfh.com.

Published in the Longview News-Journal on 2/23/2006.