Keith D Heaton

Keith Dewain Heaton was born May 15, 1923 in McDonough County, Illinois near Vermont.   Keith graduated from Table Grove High School in 1940.  He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in the fall of 1941.  He became a weather forecaster and earned the rank of Master Sergeant.  After his discharge in 1945, Keith attended the University of Illinois in Champaign for one calendar year in 1946.

Keith met Gwen Castle at the University of Illinois, and they married June 5, 1948 in Ridge Farm, Illinois at the home of Gwen’s family.  They moved to Table Grove, Illinois to farm with Keith’s dad. Five years later they moved to Minonk, Illinois. JoAn and Jill were born while they were there.  Keith began to farm near Roseville, Illinois in 1957.  They lived in Warren County until moving to Wesley Village in Macomb in November 2017.  Keith and Gwen had celebrated 72 years of marriage before her death on September 28, 2020.

Farming was at the center of Keith Heaton’s life, and he loved animals.  He raised cattle and hogs until he was 65.  Keith had a pet dog from the time he was a child until he and Gwen moved to Wesley Village.  As a child, Keith harvested corn by hand, and when he retired from actively working on the farm in 2017 he was driving a combine with GPS.  To the end of his life, Keith spoke fondly of the opportunity to grow up on a farm and regularly asked for current farm updates.

Keith’s love of travel began while he was serving in WWII when he was stationed in several locations in Texas and in Trinidad.  Together, Keith and Gwen were blessed to travel to Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, multiple locations throughout Central and South America, Europe, and all 50 of the United States.  Keith and Gwen first went to Arizona in 1979 and continued these winter visits until January 2020.

From November 1970- February 1971 the Heaton family hosted Luchy Villamil, an exchange student from Colombia, South America. This led to a lifetime of visits with Luchy and her family, especially her brother Oscar who attended the University of Illinois.  Oscar now lives in Philadelphia, and he has visited the farm many times and attended special family celebrations.  Luchy, Oscar, and James August were able to attend Keith’s 100th birthday celebration in Macomb.

Keith is survived by his sister Madeline Olson of Macomb, Illinois; daughter JoAn White (Dick) of Nacogdoches, Texas; daughter Jill Gross (Charley) of Wilmette, Illinois; granddaughter Carolyn White of Nacogdoches, Texas; grandson Rich White (Ashleigh) and three great-grandchildren of Roseville, Illinois; grandson Jarrett Gross (Lance Pulido) of Chicago, Illinois; grandson Nathan Gross of Evanston, Illinois; and many other family members throughout the United States and Colombia.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, November 16, 2024 at the Roseville United Methodist Church. A Time of visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Friday, November 15, 2024 at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will be in the Forest Lawn Memory Gardens, Macomb. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wesley Village, 1200 E. Grant Street, Macomb, IL 61455 or to Roseville United Methodist Church, 201 W. Union Street, Roseville, IL 61473.