Obituary of John McKeever

MCKEEVER, JOHN PATRICK, 71, Ocala, died August 15, 2009, at home, after a lengthy illness. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1938, to John Charles and Evelyn Crowl McKeever, he moved with his parents to Belleview, Florida in 1946. He attended public and parochial schools in Belleview and Ocala, graduating from Ocala High School in 1956. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University in 1960, where he was president of the Beta Epsilon chapter of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. In 1962 he received his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law, where he was Executive Editor of the Law Review. Upon graduation from law school he served two years as a research assistant for Florida's Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland. In 1965 he returned to Ocala to enter the private practice of law and became a partner in the Law Firm of Pattillo, MacKay and McKeever. He retired from the practice of law in 2006. He served as attorney for the Marion County School Board from 1967 through 1978, and continued to represent the school board in federal litigation regarding desegregation until just prior to his retirement. He is a past Chairman of the Canal Authority of the State of Florida, has served on the Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission, as counsel to the Marion County Planning Commission, and on the Marion County Library Board. He is a former president of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce, a former president of the Marion County Bar Association, a former president of the Metropolitan Rotary Club, a former chairman of the Marion County Democratic Executive Committee, a founding board member of Fine Arts for Ocala, and a past chairman of the judicial nominating commission for Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. Upon his retirement he was recognized by the City of Ocala for his contributions to education and growth management and his significant contributions to the cause of civil rights in Marion County. Survivors include his wife, Janet W. Behnke, Ocala; daughters Kathryn Carlson, Fort Collins, Colorado, Margaret Anderson, Palmyra, Virginia, Sarah McKeever, Ocala; and two grandsons, Duncan and Finlay Carlson, Fort Collins, Colorado. A memorial service will be held Monday, August 24, 2009, at 11 o'clock in the morning at the First United Methodist Church of Ocala, 1126 E. Silver Springs Boulevard, the Reverend Allen Johnson, the Reverend Sue Haupert-Johnson, and the Rev. June Edwards officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Marion County Public Library Book Endowment. Arrangements are being handled by Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Ocala.