Edith
(Miner) Keeler
(1872-1921)
Edith Viola (Miner) Keeler was born on March 27, 1872 near Tontogany, Wood County, OH, the daughter of Jacob and Louise (Finkenbeiner) Miner. She was considered "a valued and esteemed neighbor and citizen" of Haskins, Wood County for more than a quarter-century.
On her 19th birthday, on March 27, 1891, Edith married Gurdon Keeler (1869-1946), a native of Haskins, and the son of Clark M. and Anna Keeler. They had three children – Hazel I. Young, Earl Keeler and Gertrude Houser.
According
to an article in the Bowling Green Daily Sentinel Tribune:
The couple lived for two years at Waterville, then moved to Tontogany where they resided for one year, from where they removed to Haskins, where they had lived since. The husband is a licensed engineer of this town. Mrs. Keeler was a member of the L.O.T.M. order of Haskins. Although not active in social, civic or church affairs she had acquired a large circle of warm friends. She was a home loving character and most contented when caring for her children and home.
Sadly, at age 49, on Feb. 13, 1921, Edith died of "intestinal tuberculosis, with which she had been ill since last August." She was buried at Union Hill Cemetery.
Gurdon outlived Edith by a quarter century and continued to reside in Haskins. In his 70s, he was admitted to Speck’s Convalescent Home, and was a patient there "for some time" prior to his death. He passed away in 1946.
Daughter
Gertrude, seen at left, was first married a man named Houser. Circa 1968,
she was married to a second husband, Carl Pedersen. Gertrude and Carl resided in
Pinellas Park, Pinellas County, FL. Nothing further is known of their lives.
Son Earl and
his wife Hazel are seen at right.
Earl served in France with the US Army during World War I. Later, he worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad, moving to Port Huron, St. Clair County, MI in about 1934, and retiring in 1960. He was a member of an early union, the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks, Lodge No. 211. Earl married Hazel Groll (whose family established Groll Furniture Company). The Keelers are seen at left with their elder two children. They had six children in all -- Edith Milner, Grace Davis Adham, Hazel Mezo, Eugene E. Keeler, Harry C. Keeler and Earlton W. Keeler. Son Harry was vice president of Michigan National Bank circa 1968.
Daughter
Hazel (1891-1972) married Clark Young (1892-1984). They are seen at left,
and were longtime owners of a movie theatre in Bowling Green, named "Cla-Zel," using part of both their first names.
(The theatre was in existence, and said to be the "oldest
continuously operating, first-run, single-screen moviehouse in Ohio." It
also was considered to be a "study in acoustics and ambience.")
A newspaper once said that Clark "came to Bowling Green in January 1916, taking over the little Lyric Theatre showing 1 and 2 reel silent movies, accompanied by a player piano. He built the Clazel Theatre in 1926 and operated the Bowling Green Theatres until 1940." Later in life, Clark moved to Miami, though he spent his summers on Lake Champlain at Bridgeport, VT.
At age 86, Clark remained "very active … and drives his own car, mows his lawn and makes minor repairs to his winter home in Miami, Fla., even though he suffered from a severe fall two years ago from which he has not fully recovered." The Youngs’ daughter, Shirley Jo Williams, was an elementary school teacher for several years at Ridge Street Elementary in Bowling Green and in McClure, OH.
The
Cla-Zel Theatre is seen at left, circa 2002. Sadly, it closed in 2005.
Granddaughter
Edith Keeler (seen here in the 1940s) married Harold C. Milner and
resided in Port Huron and later Detroit, MI, where they raised their family of
three children. She passed away on May 9, 1994.
Copyright © 2002-2003 Mark A. Miner