Samuel E. Keeney

JACOBUS - Samuel E. Keeney, 71, passed away on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at his residence. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at Codorus Church of the Brethren, 1129 Dunkard Valley Rd., Dallastown, with Pastor Rick Fischl officiating. Viewings will be from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday at Life Tributes by Olewiler & Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 35 Gotham Pl., Red Lion and from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service at church. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Born on May 2, 1941,in Loganville, he was a son of the late Leonard C. and Esther B. (Hartman) Keeney. His family moved to Jacobus in 1945 where Sam attended grade school in the 4-room Springfield Consolidated School. He studied accordion with Leo LaRose in York from age 9 to 17 and church organ with Paul Hildebrand in Jacobus as a teenager. Samuel graduated from William Penn High School in 1959. He worked for Leo LaRose music part time as an accordion and organ instructor immediately following high school. He also worked for PeoplesBank in Jacobus from 1960 until 1970 when he started his own business, Sam Keeney Organ & Piano Center, Inc., in York. He continued as an organ director until 1973. Mr. Keeney was a church organist and choir director at Christ Lutheran Church in Loganville from 1960 until 1966. He then returned to his home church, Codorus Church of the Brethren near Loganville where he has served as organist ever since. He had played the organ at Codorus church part time, as needed from 1957. In 1969, along with Galen “Bill” Cline, Sam helped organize The Versetones, a gospel quartet for whom he played keyboards until the group retired in 2002. Sam provided organ music on several TV talk shows from 1976 until the early 2000’s on local TV stations, the original show being hosted by the late Lew Doolittle. In more recent years he had been playing the organ for many senior groups and retirement homes. Mr. Keeney is survived by one sister, Mary E. Markey and her husband, Ronald E. of Loganville; and three nephews, Gary E. Markey and his wife, Joy of Seven Valleys, Bradley S. Markey and his wife, Diane of York and Brian A. Markey and his wife, Nina of Sugarland, TX. He was preceded in death by a brother, James T. Keeney. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Codorus Church of the Brethren, 1129 Dunkard Valley Rd., Dallastown, PA 17313.