Dorothy Gay Blanks Keahey

She is survived by her husband Robert Alan Keahey of San Antonio, by her brother-in-law Richard Hall Keahey of Austin, and by four of her five children; Susan Irvin of Davidson, North Carolina and her husband Robert, Robert Keahey of San Antonio and his wife Karla, Holly Middleton of Atlanta and her husband Ben, Hilary Keahey of San Antonio, and her daughter-in-law Melissa Raider Keahey of San Antonio. She was preceded in death by her son David Keahey of San Antonio, and by her parents, Olin Burbank Blanks and Dorothy DeBerry Blanks of San Angelo. She also had nine grandchildren who called her, affectionately, Geezle: Walter Keahey, Robert Irvin, Kendall Keahey, Thomas Irvin, Kristiana Keahey, Michael Irvin, Kathleen Keahey, Claudia Middleton, and Harriet Middleton.

While she kept close ties to the ranch and to her friends and family in West Texas, she lived in San Antonio for most of her life raising her children, traveling frequently, singing in her church, and volunteering for community causes.

At San Angelo High School, Gay was a vivacious student and cheerleader when she began dating Bob Keahey.

Gay spent summers at the Waldemar Camp for Girls in the Texas hill country, which she loved so much she later sent her own daughters there.

Her grandmother DeBerry taught her piano and trained her naturally gifted singing voice, both talents she used all her life.

She attended Hollins College and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1954. As a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, Gay nurtured friendships that lasted a lifetime.

Gay and Bob were married in San Angelo on December 22, 1954, once Bob returned from duty in the U.S. Army. Gay worked for the Governor's office in Austin while Bob completed college.

They moved to San Antonio when Bob took a job as a geologist, and the G.I. bill helped them purchase their first home there.

Shortly thereafter, Gay began a long and trailblazing service to the community through the San Antonio Junior League and the Battle of Flowers Association.

Gay was chosen as the Junior League's Volunteer Extraordinaire in 2003 for her creation of the San Antonio Zoo docent program, which she began in 1969. The program is now a benchmark for similar programs all over the country.

Gay often spoke to students and zoo visitors to raise awareness of animals and their natural habitats. Whenever she traveled, a visit to the local zoo was an inevitable stop.

Involved ceaselessly in her children's education, Gay was a leader in the Alamo Heights PTA and an active fundraiser for countless school activities.

She regularly attended a continuing education Spanish class, putting her sharpened skills to use during travels that satisfied her appreciation of natural beauty, her love of animals, and her thirst for adventure. Her favorite travel sites included the rainforests of Costa Rica, the savannahs of Africa, and the North fork of the Guadalupe River in Texas.

Gay joined San Antonio's Concordia Lutheran Church in 1963 with a small group of friends and neighbors, and gratefully saw the church grow to many times that size.

Later, she was an active member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, where she was an integral part of the choir and a much anticipated soloist. She served on the building committee renovating the sanctuary, and gave special attention to the organ and the acoustics so that all could hear the Word.

Gay was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, researcher, volunteer, and friend.

Her outlook on life, her personality, and her boundless energy radiated in the smile she wore each day.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, 308 Mt. Calvary, San Antonio, TX 78209 and the San Antonio Zoo, 3903 N. St. Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX 78298.