Steve attended Memphis University School where he excelled as a track & field athlete under Coach Jerry Peters, competing in, among other events, high hurdles and the long jump. In 1965, his senior year, he jumped 26’6.5”, a long-held state record and current school record. Recruited by Coach Chuck Rohe, Steve attended The University of Tennessee at Knoxville on a
full athletic scholarship where he continued to succeed both on the field and off. The unrivaled Rohe team dominated the SEC, winning the indoor and outdoor track & field title all four years.
Steve made lifelong friends among his brothers in the Sigma Chi fraternity and developed his business acumen – starting a successful student care package business at UT that continued to thrive, handed down to subsequent undergrads for years to come. After graduation, Steve met his future wife Jane Farrimond on a blind date, with whom he remained throughout most of his life as a partner and friend. He applied his business talents to real estate development through his fledgling company Elkington & Keltner. In addition to developing Beachwalk at the Sandestin resort community in Destin, Florida, Steve helped shape the residential landscape of Memphis over the course of a decade, boasting a legacy of developments such as Twelve Oaks Circle, Miller’s Pond, Racquet Club Place and South Bluffs. From there, Steve devoted his efforts to building his wife’s successful hand painted furniture studio and helped create a name for Jane and her elegant look in home furnishings. Steve
continued to lend his expertise to colleagues – instrumental in such projects as Harbor Town and The Buckberry Lodge in the Great Smokey Mountains.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008, Steve began his long fight with a debilitating illness. Undeterred, Steve continued to pursue the next great opportunity and nurtured his love of fly-fishing and the outdoors. He could be found angling for trout throughout the rivers and tributaries of Tennessee and Arkansas or deep-sea fishing with his son off the Emerald Coast.
Also a dedicated golfer, he maintained a competitive spirit as a true sportsman throughout his life.
The family wishes to express gratitude to Wesley Neurology Clinic, Signature at Primacy, Germantown Methodist Hospital, the Parkinson’s support group at St. John’s Episcopal Church and longtime caregiver Jeanice Jones.
Steve is predeceased by his father Walter Jenkins Keltner, sister Deborah Lee Keltner and his former wife, Jane Farrimond Keltner. He is survived by his two children, Allison Keltner Musick and William Stephen Keltner, grandson William Quinton Musick, mother Louise Leona Cogswell Keltner, sister Candace Louise Keltner and brother Kenneth Alva “Sam” Keltner, all of Memphis.
The family is grateful for the outpouring of love and support and will announce a celebration of life service when gathering is more appropriate. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FamilyFuneralMemphis.com for the Keltner family.
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