Obituary of Joanne Leita Greely Keers

SLINGERLANDS — Joanne Leita Greely Keers, passed away on Thursday, December 30, 2021, at Eddie Village Green in Slingerlands. Joanne was born 93 years ago, the youngest of three girls, to Royden and Persis Greely in Middletown, Conn. Her family called her Joey, later Jo to those who knew her. She earned a degree in interior design, something that her children didn't know about until recently, but aligns with her impeccable taste and eye for color and detail. Her childhood friend, Larry Withey brought her together with Bruce Keers, planting a seed that grew into the strongest of lifelong bonds among the Witheys and the Keers. Joanne and Bruce married in 1953 and moved to Brooklyn, where Bruce would attend medical school. His service in the U.S. Air Force took them to Spokane, Wash. Bruce then joined a small medical practice in Kodiak, Alaska. Their children remember their home there as the locus of cosmopolitan style that belied the remote fishing town. In 1965, the family moved to Upstate New York where Joanne remained for the rest of her life. Bruce's death in 1978 was a monumental blow that left a void she was never able to fill. Still, her resolve brought about a new independence that allowed her joy with her passions for music, theater, volunteering at the Unitarian church, an impressive collection of antiques and handmade baskets, and pride in her sobriety. Her legacy is carried in the strong and loving families of her three children, Susan (Peter), Lucinda (Art) and Bill (Grace). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Lorean, Alice (Will), Michael (Emily), Nathan, Lucy and Liza; and great-grandchildren, Everly and Harper.