William Henry Keiper, Sr.

William Henry Keiper, Sr., age 71, of St. Georges, DE, beloved husband, dad, poppop and friend to many, departed this life quietly at home on Saturday, May 25, 2019, after a recent hard fought battle with cancer. Born in Wilmington on August 16, 1947, he was the youngest child of the late Paul and Martha (Carpenter) Keiper. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Harriet and infant granddaughter, Misty. Bill started his young life as an Army private in the Vietnam War and in recent years was able to have people thank him for his service which gave him great pride. He worked various jobs throughout life but most notable among them as a pipefitter with Wilmington Sheet Metal, as a maintenance mechanic at Ciba Specialty Chemicals, and lastly before fully retiring as a tech with Lawall Prosthetics and Orthotics. He made friends in all those places and valued those connections as he moved on to other roads. Besides his family his friends and neighbors were the center of his entire universe. His favorite past times included crabbing trips and eating crabs. the annual purple martin and blue bird arrivals, planting the garden to get the first tomato, playing cards with the guys, watching the Phillies and Eagles, and just wandering the neighborhood and taking a no destination ride to pass the time. He was the special person that we all needed to share our joys, support us in sadness, and just love us through anything. The love of each other’s lives, he lived a journey for 44 years with wife, Betty Jo (Deputy) Keiper. He will be dearly missed by his children, William Keiper Jr, Brooke Carr (Shaun), Nickie Morneau (Jeff), and Lori Morgan; his grandchildren, Lyndsey Filbey, Joey Talamo, Luke Morgan, Dylan Morgan, Brent Markle, Molly Morneau, Maddie Morneau, Asher Carr and Ezra Carr; his sister, Martha Austin; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews along with his in-law families that he became so much a part of. His loyal dog, Morley will continue to be the neighborhood reminder of the love of a man and his pet. Knowing that great grandson, Baby Filbey would be joining the brood in November he will be smiling down upon his arrival. We want to thank the special friends and neighbors whose unwavering support helped him and us through these last months. It meant the world to all of us. A visitation for family and friends will be held from 11 am until 1 pm on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 275 East Main Street, Middletown, DE, where a funeral service will begin at 1 pm. Interment will be held at 10 am on Monday, June 3, 2019, in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, DE. Always the center of family and friend gatherings, everyone has a story to tell. There will be a board at the service for you to tack a picture, a note to share a memory, or just leave condolences on the website. Those are the memories that will help us remember as he was and make us smile more. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity, those supporting pets are especially dear to him. Also, donations can be made to St. Georges United Methodist Church in St. Georges, DE 19733.

William Henry Keiper, Sr.

August 16, 1947 - May 25, 2019