J. Harold Keener

Having fought the good fight of faith, Jay Harold Keener, ‘Harold’, went home to his heavenly dwelling from his beloved earthly home in Elizabethtown, PA, on Friday, August 6, 2021, at 10:46pm.

Loved by all who knew him, Harold (aka Dad, Daddy, Pop Pop) was preceded to glory by his parents, Jay Lester and Esther Sue (Fink) Keener and his first wife of thirty-nine years, Susanne Beatrice (Martin) Keener.  He was a man who loved his God wholeheartedly and this earthly soil which he farmed most of his life.

Born in Hershey, PA, on July 1,1940, Harold was from the humble roots of his family's farm. As his mind grew through a one room schoolhouse to the big halls of Elizabethtown High School, to the sermons of the Puritans and C.H. Spurgeon and the contemplations upon a faithful John Deere tractor, Harold remained sharp and witty until his very last moments. Yet, it is his godly wisdom, stalwart faith and fervent prayers that will most remain with those who will live on remembering this remarkable man.

He is survived by his beloved companion, helper and wife of fifteen years, Marie (Moyer) Clemmer Keener, of Elizabethtown, PA.  Also surviving are his siblings: David and wife Janet, of Lebanon, PA, Marilyn Sanders, of Chambersburg, PA, Melody Howard and husband Buddy, of Pasadena, MD and Mim Miller and husband Clair, of Elizabethtown, PA (at whose dairy farm he spent his last farming days). He is also survived by his five children, two stepchildren, twenty-three grandchildren and one great grandchild, all of whom he prayed for daily and deeply even in the sleepless nights of his last weeks on earth. They are his firstborn son, Jonathan David and wife, Sharon and their eight children: Jenna and her son, Jeremiah, Rebecca, Makayla Varrie and husband Joshua, Seth, Matthew, Stephen, Zachariah and Zoe of Pilot Mountain, NC; his daughter, Linea Sue and her husband Glenn and their two daughters: Kaylie and Kelsee of Montville, NJ; his daughter, Kristen Mae and her husband Don and their four daughters: Annika, Chloe, Sophia and Camille, of Chester Springs, PA; his daughter, Abigail Wynne and her husband, Jared and their three children: Jared Jonathan, Susanne and Samuel, of Lansing, IL; his daughter, Sara Lynne and her husband, Brian and their three children: Owen, Judah and Helena, of Pompton Plains, NJ; and his wife Marie’s two children, who became his own, Jennifer Hiltebeitel and her husband Eric and their two daughters: Skyler and Cameron, of Malvern, PA; David Clemmer and his wife Kati, of Park, Kansas and Marie’s spiritual daughter, April Mercado and her daughter, Lydia Rodgers and husband Quincy, of Quakertown, PA.

His life well-lived will be celebrated in a Memorial Service on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 11am with an informal visitation beginning at 10am at his most beloved church, Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 10 Spruce Street, Middletown, PA  17057. Private interment will be at the convenience of the family.  Note: Due to the anticipated large gathering, this will be a mask-wearing event.

Arrangements have been entrusted with the Miller-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, 130 North Market Street, Elizabethtown, PA  17022, 717-367-1543.

In lieu of flowers please send memorial donations to: The Mission of the OPC Church: https://www.give.opc.org or The Penn State Health System where he underwent his kidney transplant and end of life care: https://www.pennstatehealth.org/giving

Memories and condolences may be shared at: www.FinkenbinderFamily.com

The Mission of the OPC Church
607 North Easton Road, Building E, Willow Grove PA 19090-2539
Tel: 1-215-830-0900
Web: http://www.give.opc.org

Penn State Health System
Tel: 1-800-243-1455
Web: http://www.pennstatehealth.org/giving