Dortha Keenan passed away on November 22, 2023 at Overland Park, KS. She was born January 11, 1935 to Clyde Willis and Lela (Williamson) Willis in Ada, OK. As a young child, she and her family moved to Salem, IL. She enjoyed her time there and had many good memories. In 1945, the family moved to Great Bend, KS. She remembered the celebration of World War II on Main Street with confetti, singing and dancing.

She graduated from Great Bend High School and attended Hutchinson Junior College. In 1956 she married Patrick Keenan at St. Rose Catholic Church in Great Bend. She was a housewife and mother until 1969 when she received her Kansas Real Estate License. Dortha often said that being in real estate was such a good fit for her because she enjoyed helping friends and relatives, but also meeting new people and showcasing interesting homes. She was proud to be among the first Realtors in Great Bend to earn the Certified Real Estate Specialist (CRS) and Certified Real Estate Broker (CRB) designations and was a graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI). She is a member of the Kansas Real Estate Honor Society, was named 1982 Realtor of the Year, and was the first female President of the Great Bend Board of Realtors in 1982, and again in 1992 and 1993. She was president of the St Rose Altar Society, member of the Great Bend Pilot Club and active in the ACTS ministry at Prince of Peace Parish.

Dortha was proud to live in Great Bend, promoting it in any way she could. She became an early member of the Chamber of Commerce, lasting 38 years. She chaired the Chamber’s Beautification Committee for nine years, the initial project of which lined Broadway’s islands with decorative bricks and flower planters.

Though her real estate career and civic involvement brought her fulfillment, it was her family who always came first. Family dinner was always the high point of the day.

Survivors include her four children, Kelly and wife Sharon Beemer of Houston, Carrie Keenan Nash and husband Todd of Boulder, Cade and wife Sara of Kansas City, Chris of Minneapolis, and eight grandchildren: Connor Nash, Parker Nash and wife Veronica, Audrey Keenan, Samuel Keenan, Annie Keenan, Katherine Keenan, Emma Keenan, and Madeline Keenan. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Patrick Keenan.

Visitation will be Thursday Nov. 30, 2023, 4-8 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home, Great Bend, with family receiving friends from 5-7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m., Friday Dec. 1, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Great Bend, with Father Aneesh Parappanattu, Father Warren Stoecklein, and Father Don Bedore concelebrating. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Holy Family School, Great Bend, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, both in care of the Bryant Funeral Home.

Funeral arrangements provided by

Bryant Funeral Home

Great Bend, KS 67530

1425 Patton Road

Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Nov. 28, 2023