4: Interview with Bob Keating – Liberal Memorial Library

Narratives of Our Lives

Family Stories from the rural community north of Liberal, Kansas from the early 20th century to 2020
Interviews and writings compiled by Donita Priefert Payne

Date: December 23, 2019

Place: Notes from a phone conversation with Bob

Interviewer: Donita Priefert Payne

Bob is 85 years old now, has lived on the farm where he still lives and thinks it is the best place to be. Bob recalled that his parents, Jim (James Brice) and Wilma Bloom Keating and my parents (Don and Lowene Priefert) were friends. Jim was born in 1912 and Wilma was born in 1914. My dad Don was born in 1911 and my mother Lowene was born in 1915. Bob remembers a trip to Colorado by the Keating and Priefert families. This trip can be verified by a picture taken of the two toddlers – Bob and Donita – in the Rocky Mountains. There is also a picture of these two tykes taken on a picnic at Meade Park. Wilma and Lowene remained friends throughout their lives. They would have been close neighbors in the years before the Keatings moved into Liberal and the Prieferts moved to the John Priefert farm . Lowene and Wilma got together just to chat through the years. They both played the piano and enjoyed playing together on the piano and organ.

Bob and Donita were at Sleepy Hollow School at the same time. Donita recalls sitting at one of the old wooden school desks with Bob and both of them working on second grad,e work. Bob says he was never a very good student and did not enjoy schoolwork. The Keating family moved to a home at 2nd and Jordan in Liberal when Bob was in the fourth grade. He went to Garfield School. He did not come back to the farm until after he returned from being in the Service during 1954-1956. He had been stationed in Germany.

Bob married Sharon Riney of Liberal. They had two sons. One became a police officer. Sadly, that son died about four years ago from a cancer illness. The other son also has died. Kidney illness was the cause. That son worked with Bob and also did mechanical work. Bob and Sharon have five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Grandparents Willis and Rosa Bloom came to Liberal in 1908. They lived in a house where the airport was later developed at the time of WW2. That house was moved. Rosa was from Baden, Germany. Bob is not certain about whether Willis was also from Germany. Bob said that it was ironic that he learned of this early German heritage when he was in the Service in Germany. The family stories were that they came to America to get away from the oppressive government and from the required military service.

Bob’s connection to farming came through Willis and Rosa . Willis was a farmer. Bob’s father, Jim, got into farming through Willis and Rosa. Jim leased a quarter. In 1917, Willis Bloom bought the half section a mile west of where Bob now lives. Sleepy Hollow School was on the southwest corner of that Section 14.

Bob’s father, Jim, was becoming ill with heart disease at the time Bob came home from the military. Grandad Brice Keating came to Liberal in 1888 with a couple of brothers. The brothers left after a while, but Brice stayed and started a hardware business in 1888. He was in business with Clarence Martin. Clarence’s son, Glenn, was a boy at the time. Glenn Martin later became famous in the aviation business. The Clarence Martin family later moved to another town in Kansas. Brice wound up with full ownership of the hardware business. When heating of homes came in, Brice got into the tin business and put heating into homes and buildings. This was a major financial commitment. Arthur Keating eventually came into the business and it became a plumbing shop making and installing tin stove pipes. Arthur took over when Brice died in 1925. Brice’s son, James, was too young to take over the business. It remained a plumbing business until Arthur died and the business closed at that time.

The Keating line is Brice (died 1925), Bob’s father James Brice (died 1965) also called Jim, and Bob’s brother James William, also called Jim. James Brice Keating (Jim) got into the John Deere business in 1957. His son James William (Jim) came into the John Deere business in 1957 with his father. The father was not able to be very active in the business at that time due to his heart health issues. After James William died, his son Russ took over the business. The business is presently operating. James William was married to Marlene Franz Keating. Marlene’s father, Henry Franz, and mother lived on the Fitzgerald farm for many years. Marlene would
have attended Liberty School. Bob provided information about his siblings. Jim was the oldest, then Bob, then Don and Jane and Mike. Don went to college and studied engineering, majoring in hydraulics. He had several excellent positions with various companies, is now retired and lives in Perry, Oklahoma. Jane worked as a clerk, is now retired and lives in Tyrone. Mike is a Methodist minister, presently in Cimarron, Kansas and is ready to retire. He did several other things before becoming a minister. He was a corporate pilot for Garvey corporation and for Sesna.

Bob and his wife Sharon enjoy living in their home on the farm. Bob commented on the change in Liberal and in the countryside over these years. Bob said that his health is doing better than he ought to due to modern medicine. He has a pacemaker. He has lived a longer life span that the other Keating men who all had heart issues. Sharon has some issues with arthritis and some spine issues. They are faithful members of the Methodist church in Liberal. There used to be 1200 members, now there may be 200 members and it is hard to get even 100 to attend. All the main-line churches in Liberal are in the same situation. It seems the younger people don’t seem to go to established churches. That is the old style but not the style of younger people.