John A. Keener, 75

John passed away June 23, 2023, in Coeur d’Alene surrounded in love by family and friends. John is survived by his wife of 40 plus years, Jan (Janice) Finneman Keener, along with his daughter, Cody Rogo and son Gaite Kennedy with families and many cousins of John’s in New York and Florida.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Queens, John graduated from Forest Hills High School. He attended Fordham University and aspired to become a history teacher. An avid skier who frequented New York, Vermont and the Alps, John was eventually motivated to move west for more challenging slopes. He ingrained a love for the sport into his family and ski vacations with many friends all over the Rockies were a yearly occurrence.

Based in Spokane, Wash., he worked for AT&T, US West and Quest for over 30 years, where he met his wife. She shared coffee from her company truck and the love grew from there. They both settled into the Coeur d’Alene area where they hand-built their beloved lake place and spent 22 years living near Kidd Island Bay. The lake and boating became a part of everyday life and a career for Jan selling real estate. Wooden boats were a love and hobby for them both and you could usually find the Donna Rossa, a frequenter of any boat show in the area. Knowledgeable in darn near everything, an avid reader and gun collector, he was as much a jokester as he laid his heart on his sleeve.

Services for John will be held Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Yates Funeral Home — Coeur d’Alene Chapel, 744 N. Fourth St, Cd’A. Please visit John’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.