Violet Rosetta Keen

Violet Rosetta Keen passed away Friday January 19th 2024 at home surrounded by family. She was born in Anderson, Indiana to Fredrick Elias Dugger and Pearl C. Stephenson on August 20th, 1935. She grew up during the great depression and started delivering papers to help bring in money for her family at a very early age. She was an athlete like her father and all of her siblings. She played softball and volleyball in highschool and was also a cheerleader.

She married Howard Gawain Keen on October 4th 1953, and had 4 children: Howard Clayton Keen, Rosetta Marie Keen, Howard Gawain Keen Jr. (Tex) and Michelle Marie Keen. She was a military spouse and traveled the world with her family. She lived in many interesting places like Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia, California, Texas, France, Hawaii and…Petersboro.

Violet joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints along with her husband and older two children on April 6th, 1968 in Mineral Wells, Texas. She was an active member of the church and shared her testimony freely. She loved serving in the church in whatever calling she was asked to fulfill. This provided her with many lifelong friends around the world that she kept in touch with faithfully. One of those friends was the Darley’s from Hyrum, UT. They fellowshipped the Keen’s into the church in Texas.

Violet ran a daycare center in her home in Smithfield, Utah for more than 20 years to provide for her little family. She specialized in loving and caring for special needs children.

Violet was very artistic and loved to paint, sketch, write poems, macrame and crochet. She had the most beautiful cursive handwriting. Violet also had a beautiful soprano voice and enjoyed singing in choirs.

She loved her family very much. She spent many hours doing homework with her grandchildren, going to dance recitals, soccer games, band competitions, orchestra performances and piano recitals. She also provided the means for them to have music lessons, dance lessons and provided many other opportunities that they would not have had otherwise.

Everyone that knows her was able to see her joy, her sassiness and her sense of humor. She always said what was on her mind. She would never shy away from telling you that you were getting chubby. Violet didn’t like swearing but she would call you a “poop head.” She taught most of her family the game of chess, but sadly started losing to her students pretty early on. She enjoyed going out to eat and loved Kentucky Fried Chicken and “Booger” King. (We couldn’t get her to pronounce ‘burger’ correctly.)

We loved Grammy V. very much and will miss her everyday.

Violet Rosetta Keen was preceded in death by her Father Fredric Elias Dugger, her Mother Pearl C. Stephenson, her Brother Charles Fredric Dugger, her Brother George Everett Dugger, and her Sister Mary Elizabeth Dugger (Levell), and is survived by her children Howard Clayton Keen, Rosetta Marie Keen (Morse), Howard G. Keen Jr., and Michelle Marie Keen and her Grandchildren, Rachael Elizabeth Keen, Anna Marie Keen (Palfreyman), Kaylan Joseph Keen, Laura Jean Keen, Jonathan Schuyler Keen, Eryn Marie Morse (Harrison) , Ryan Steven Morse, Tyler Clayton Keen, Corinne Marie Keen (Merkley), Landon Taylor Keen and Kaulin Tex Keen.