Clara Mae Keeton

Clara Mae and her late husband, Jimmy, were high school sweethearts and graduated from Enid High School in Enid Oklahoma in 1943. In 1945, they married and spent the next 71 years together.

Clara worked as an Executive Secretary for over 35 years at the Texas Welfare Department, now known as the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. She won several awards for exemplary service.

In 1983, Jimmy and Clara Mae brought the first bounce house company to Austin, Spacewalk of Austin. On weekends they would deliver bounce houses for children’s birthday parties, school and church festivals. They operated this business themselves for 20 years. Their most famous customer was John Travolta, who rented a bounce house for his children while John was working on a movie in Austin. Not knowing who he was, John had to convince Jimmy to leave the bounce house overnight for his children to enjoy. John assured him he had enough insurance to be financially responsible to keep the bounce house overnight.

Clara Mae and Jimmy were quite the dancers and loved any chance to kick up their heels on the dance floor. You could even catch them dancing in the kitchen if a good song started playing. After retirement, they danced every Tuesday night at Donn’s Depot on 5th Street in Austin, dancing to all kinds of music.

Clara Mae was actively involved in the Woman’s Auxiliary at St. David’s Hospital on 32nd Street in Austin, where she volunteered many hours for over 15 years.

Clara Mae was a loving and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Family was important to her, and her children will tell you that she and their dad were their best friends through the years. Clara and Jimmy were high school sweethearts and married while Jimmy was serving in the U.S. Navy. Their first home was in Seattle where Jimmy was stationed. After Seattle, they lived in New Orleans where Jimmy attended Tulane University on a football scholarship. Other places they lived included Kenedy, Texas and Houston, Texas and McAllen, Texas.

Clara Mae is preceded in death by her husband, Jimmy Keeton, her parents, Walter B. Deal and Ella Mae Deal and her sisters: Helen Deal Swinehart and Juanita Deal Hyde.

Clara Mae is survived by her three children and their spouses, Linda Dews (Tommy) of Port Neches, Texas, Brad Keeton (Mary Kay) of Austin, Texas Andrea Irby (Skip) of Austin, Texas. Grandchildren Derek Dews (Lori), Brant Dews (Allana), Terrell Keeton (Addie), Paige Holden (Andrew) and Christopher Irby. Great grandchildren, Carly Holden, Cameron Holden, Tucker Keeton, Sawyer Keeton and Cambree Dews.

The family would like to thank Brookdale Northwest Senior Living in Austin and Hospice Austin for the care and compassion they showed our mother in her final days.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Visitation at Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home located at 5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin on Sunday, February 4th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm .

Interment to follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches, Texas on Monday, January 5th,