Loraine J. Keehn

Loraine J. Keehn, 84 of Kearney passed away Sunday, January 3, 2025 at Hillcrest Country Estates Cottages, Papillion, Nebraska. Funeral services will be at 11:00 am Friday, January 17, 2025 at O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney. The interment will be held at Highland Park Cemetery in Ravenna. Visitation will be held 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, January 16, 2025 at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Loraine was born in Ravenna, NE on November 20, 1940, to Louis and Clara (Bachkora) Huryta. Loraine was raised on a farm in southern Sherman County and graduated from Ravenna High School in 1958. In High School she was known as Lori and was a very active student. She was Majorette, Cheerleader, FHA Treasurer, Class Secretary, in the Class Play, Girls Glee, band and was the Annual Queen. After graduation, Loraine met John Keehn and was united in marriage on April 19, 1959, in Ravenna, Nebraska. They moved to Kearney after their marriage, and she lived there for 65 years. Loraine moved to an assisted living facility in Gretna, Nebraska in August 2024 to be closer to family. After a bout with the flu, her declining health forced her to live in the Hillcrest Country Estates Cottages where she passed away peacefully. Loraine was a devoted wife and mother. Being a stay-at-home mom for her first 16 years of marriage, she helped raise her two boys Rocky and Mike. They kept her busy with school activities, cub scouts and especially sports. Trips to the ballfields for baseball games and practices were routine during the summer. She started working at McDonalds when it opened in Kearney in the mid 70’s, then to Kings Food Host as a waitress and moved on to be a cashier at Unimart (grocery and home goods store). Before retiring from Unimart, she worked her way up to an office job making sure all the money was accounted for at the end of the day. Loraine and John enjoyed traveling, including several camping vacations with their sons before they graduated from high school. She also spent a lot of time attending athletic events, especially watching her sons and grandchildren. Loraine was an avid sports fan, but especially enjoyed watching baseball. She rarely missed a Kansas City Royals game on TV and knew more about the Royals than her sons. Besides sports related activities, she enjoyed communicating with and visiting with her pen pal buddies and Ravenna High School classmates. Class reunions were one of her favorite things to do and was one of the major planners of these events. She spent her time after retirement helping John with the garden, where they would give cucumbers and tomatoes to friends and neighbors. Whenever he needed a cold refreshment, she would bring it to him and sat on the patio passing the time. Their yard was immaculate with flowers placed all around the deck and yard which she documented by taking hundreds of pictures over the years. Everyone that knew her knew she was always willing to do things for others (husband, sons, friends and family) before thinking of herself. Loraine is survived by her sons, Rocky (Vaiva) of Gretna, Nebraska and Mike (Lisa) of Florence, Alabama; grandchildren, Jessica (Corey) Meisel, Daina Keehn, Erica (Rob) Rikard, Ryder Keehn, Austin Keehn, Audra Keehn; great-grandchildren, Houston Meisel, Noah and Addison Rikard; and brother Ken Huryta of Ravenna. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband John.

Loraine J. Keehn

November 20, 1940 - January 3, 2025