Jerome L. Keenan

Please Note Date of Death Has Been Changed to Keep Service Current

Jerome L. Keenan, age 82, of Watertown, SD, passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at the local hospital.  Visitation will be at the Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in Watertown on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Burial will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery.  Military graveside honors will be conducted by Codington County Post #17 of the American Legion, Watertown, and the Military Funeral Honors Team of the SD Army National Guard. 

Jerome was born on January 7, 1943, in Watertown, SD, to LaVerne and Dorothy (Witt) Keenan.  Jerome attended Hanten District #12 through the eighth grade before attending Waverly High School, graduating with the class of 1961 as Valedictorian.  He went onto further his education at South Dakota State University for one year.

Jerome served his country by enlisting in the United States Army on August 14, 1962.  He served as a Military Police Officer in Okinawa, Japan.  He was honorable discharged on May 18, 1965.  Jerome went back to South Dakota State University following his time in the army, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1968.    

Jerome was a teacher in Harrisburg, SD, for one year before starting his career with the South Dakota Department of Labor Job Services and then worked at Little River City in Watertown until he retired in September 2018.

Jerome was an active member of the Codington County Post #17 of the American Legion, Watertown.  He served in several different positions with the American Legion, including Post Commander, Executive Committee, and the Americanism Officer.

Jerome is survived by his sisters, Joanne Kase, Kathleen (Bruce) Gaede, Carol Comes, Donna (Jim) Risch, Leann (Kevin) Behnke; and several nieces and nephews.

Jerome was preceded in death by his parents, LaVerne and Dorothy; brothers-in-law, Dwayne Kase, and Billy Comes; and grandparents, James and Lillian (Tesch) Keenan, and Charles and Johanna (Lenz) Witt.

Arrangements by Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel www.crawfordosthus.com Watertown and Hayti

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