Donald E. Dekeyser

Donald Eugene DeKeyser, 78, a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa died on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf following a brief illness.
His funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday, August 13, 2007 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Bettendorf. Burial will be in the Rock Island National Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Sunday at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf where a prayer service will be conducted at 4:00 P.M. Memorials may be made to the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House or the Lymphoma Foundation.
Donald was born June 12, 1929 in Kewanee, Illinois, the son of Gustaf and Margaret (Standaert) DeKeyser. He attended Kewanee High School. Don was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1955, he was united in marriage to Shirley Holmes in Kewanee.
He retired from Alcoa in 1991.
He is survived by a daughter, Julie (Peter) Dokas of Rapids City, Illinois; a son, Brian (Wendy) DeKeyser of Rock Mart, Georgia; seven grandchildren, Kristopher, Kenneth, Kirk & Gregory Goetz and Colin Dokas, Jessica and Karisa Schipper and Amber Prescott.
He is also survived by three brothers, Robert of Kewanee, John (Barbara) of Oregon and Larry (Carol) of Daytona Beach, Florida. He also has two sisters; Dorothy (Harry) Weston of Washington, Illinois and Mary (Dennis) Marchand of Kewanee; a sister-in-law, Marles DeKeyser of Coldstein, Illinois; a special friend Betty Anderson of Moline and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Richard and a sister Judy.
He will always be remembered for his kind heart and his willingness to help anyone and everyone who needed it. The word “no” was not in his vocabulary.