Marguerite B. Keatley

Marguerite Buck Keatley, a longtime resident of LaVale who was a devoted church and community volunteer, passed away on Monday, Dec. 2, 2013 in Lawrenceville, following a brief illness. She was 94. A native of Rural Retreat, Va., Miss Buck graduated from the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (now James Madison University) in 1939. She briefly served as a school teacher in Virginia before beginning a career at the Radford Arsenal and the New River Ordnance Works. There, she led a team of women, “Rosie the Riveters”, who helped manufacture ammunition in support of U.S. troops during World War II. Their work was profiled in LIFE magazine. At the Radford Arsenal she met her future husband, Joseph E. Keatley, and they were married in 1946. They operated a sporting goods store in Beckley, W. Va., with Mr. Keatley’s brother until 1951, when they returned to work at the Radford plant during the Korean War. They later lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, until moving in 1964 to LaVale. An active member of Christ Lutheran Church, Mrs. Keatley served on many church committees and sang in the Chancel Choir. Among her favorite activities was working with a group of church members to make hundreds of quilts for distribution throughout the world to people in need. She was also a volunteer with Meals on Wheels and other organizations, and was a member of the Western Maryland chapter of PEO International. Preceded in death by her husband, Joseph E. Keatley, Mrs. Keatley is survived by her son, J. Kendall Keatley; daughter-in-law, Janice F. Keatley; and three grandchildren, Nolan, Trent and Hannah Keatley, all of Lawrenceville, Ga. She is also survived by her niece, Kay Pless, of Lexington, Va.; her cousin, Lin Lyon, of Cincinnati, Ohio; several other relatives; and numerous friends in Maryland and Virginia. A private funeral service will be held in Wytheville, Va., and the family plans a memorial service in her honor at Christ Lutheran Church early in 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in Mrs. Keatley’s name be made to Lutheran World Relief; or to Christ Lutheran Church in LaVale, Md.Read Obituary