Cassie Elizabeth Keener Obituary (2019)

Cassie Elizabeth Keener, Lt., USN (Ret), 98, widow of Captain John L. Keener, of Beaufort, SC, died Tuesday, August 20, 2019, in Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Graveside services will be held Friday at 11 AM at Beaufort National Cemetery with military honors. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Smile Train, (smiletrain.org). Cassie Elizabeth Young was born July 6, 1921 in Fort Valley, Georgia to James and Minnie Young. She had a sister - Louise and a brother - Ed. After graduating High School, she attended Oglethorpe University outside of Atlanta and earned a B.S. in Nursing, And worked at the Oglethorpe Private Infirmary for 3 years. To further her career she took post graduate courses in Anesthesia. Cassie also worked at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and performed private duty nursing in Macon, Ga. She joined the Navy and was commissioned an officer with the rank of Ensign. Her service in the Navy started at the Charleston Naval Hospital, in January of 1943 - at the height of WWII helping to heal the wounded sailors. By August, she qualified as a ward supervisor. Ultimately she was transferred to the Naval Shipyard in Washington, D.C. where she met her future husband CMD John L. Keener. They were married on February 17, 1945 in Anacostia, Va. They had three children, Jack, Kathy, and David she also had three grandchildren. Cassie was multi-talented. She was an avid tennis player, excelled in golf, and played with her best friend and husband John Keener. They did everything together... Spending countless hours shrimping in their 'John Boat', working in the yard, and with plants. She was a very accomplished Master Gardener - and completed the course offered at VO-Tech while in her 70's. She rooted over a thousand Azalea, and boxwood hedge plants in an old boat filled with sand. These create a spectacular display of her handy work every Spring. Cassie became a published authority on the propagation of Sago Palms. And dad shared her love for plants with Camellias and citrus trees. She enjoyed oil painting. She crocheted over 115 afghans and gave them away to friends. Made over 15 crocheted bedspreads. The bottom line was that she was willing to try to do anything she set her mind to accomplish. This was also true of her best friend and husband. Cassie was famous for her coconut pie. She made them and gave them away like door prizes. John and Cassie traveled the world, going to Europe many times. They visited China when they were in their 80's, and the Holy Land after that. They both had a love for life and were willing to share their talents to help others. Now Cassie and John can share the adventure of eternity with one another, and their Love of the Lord.