A Celebration of Life for Mary Keathley, Age 89 of Gainesville, Missouri will be held on Monday, May 11th, 2026 at The Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, Missouri, beginning at 11:00 AM. Visitation will precede the service, beginning at 10:00 AM.
Mary Evelyn (Cannon) Keathley, 89, passed on May 4, 2026, at her home in Gainesville. Mary was born on March 12, 1937, on the family farm in Bucklin, Missouri, to “Bill” Claude and Myrtle Cannon. Her older sister, Claudine, remained her closest friend throughout her life. Mary met Jim Keathley in school and they became high school sweethearts. The two married on June 12, 1955, and were each other’s world for their seventy-year marriage.
After they married, Mary traveled with Jim while he was in the Army. Later, they settled in Ozark County and had one daughter, Karen. Mary held many jobs throughout her life, including working as a bookkeeper, preparing taxes, dabbling in real estate, and owning her own business.
Mary was a Christian, and she always put the needs of others above her own. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman. Mary’s kindness and quiet service of others was rare, constant, and valued deeply by those she loved well. Her inner beauty was exhibited best by this love and service.
Mary was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a favorite among her granddaughters and great-grandkids, who fondly referred to her as “Grammie.” She also wholeheartedly loved her son-in-law and grandson-in-law. Mary enjoyed cooking and baking, growing flowers, camping, playing cards, and doing crafts with her granddaughters. She loved traveling with Jim in RVs across the United States and into Canada, and she especially loved spending winters in southern Texas.
Mary is survived by husband Jim; daughter Karen (and Gaylon) Turner; granddaughters Alicia (and John) Adams, Cherie Turner, and Megan Turner; great-grandkids Kaia and Kobi Adams; sister Claudine Behrman; and other family and friends. Mary was preceded in death by parents Bill and Myrtle Cannon, brother-in-law George Behrman, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Pat and Jim Granger, nieces Belinda Coe and Laura Behrman, nephews Bruce Granger and Tim Granger, special cousin Bob Leonard, and many friends and other family.
