SALT LAKE CITY resident Joe Judson Keahey, 84, died Thursday, March 18, 1993, following a long illness.
Mr. Keahey, a long time Idaho resident, moved to Salt Lake City in 1983, following the death of his wife. At the time of his death he was living with his son, David.He was born August 20, 1908 in Monticello, Arkansas, the son of Pleasant Francis Keahey I and Carrie Thornton Keahey. He worked for 42 years as a tree surgeon and utility line-clearing foreman for the Davey Tree Expert Company, which is headquartered in Kent, Ohio.
He married Kathlyn E. Turgeon, December 8, 1934, in Clayton, New York. The couple traveled throughout the eastern United States for several years before being permanently transferred by Davey to Idaho in 1942 to work on utility lines operated by Idaho Power. He lived in Boise until 1947 when he moved to Nampa, Idaho, where he lived until 1983.
During those years, he helped open the northern Utah area, including Salt Lake City, to Davey line-clearing crews under contract to Utah Power & Light. Mr. Keahey had been a long-time member of Ashlar Lodge No. 90, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Nampa, and later became a member of Ashlar 29 when the two lodges merged in the mid 1980's. He also belonged to Cyrus Chapter No. 2 Royal Arch Masons, Nampa.
His family wants to express deep appreciation for Mr. Keahey's close friend and aide, Ellen Clark; his two Hospice nurses, Carol Holmes and Connie Wineriter; and his physician, George R. Edison, M.D.
Survivors include three sons, P.F. (Pete) Keahey II, Bloomfield, New Mexico; John J. Keakey and David J. Keahey, both of Salt Lake City; two sisters, Mabel Pace and Virginia Haven, both of Oxnard, Calif. In addition he is survived by seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He preceded in death by his wife of nearly 49 years.
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