Deborah Keis

Born on March 5, 1954, in Fairfield, Illinois, Debbie was a constant source of unconditional love. One of the ways she showed that love was through baking and cooking, remembered very fondly for her fried chicken and chicken and dumplings. To know her was to be welcomed, fed, and loved. She knew no stranger. Her compassion and ability to make anyone feel at home made her the “neighborhood mom.”

She loved her husband, Harley, and her children, but she also deeply loved animals. Over the years, Debbie had a series of small dogs and several birds that she deeply cared for, going as far as devoting whole rooms to her pet birds. When she wasn’t actively caring for all of those around her, you could find her crocheting, looking for hummingbirds, or sitting on her swing, reading a romance novel. Fishing was a hobby that her and her husband shared. The two would make sure to go on a fishing trip every year on Labor Day weekend, visiting many different fishing spots.

Debbie is survived by her children, Tammy Keis, Tonya (Tom) Carrico, Herbert

Keis, David Keis, Harley D. Keis; her sister, Connie Proctor; her brother, Tim Tyler; and several grandkids and great-grandchildren. She joins in peace those who passed before her, including her husband, Harley Keis; her parents, Walter and Maxine Tyler; her brother, Danny Tyler; and her sister, Sheila Killing.

Her love was a steady flame in our lives, and though she has gone, her warmth will never fade.