Orean L. Keels

He was born on March 23, 1932, in Pineville, North Carolina to parents, Isaac Wesley and Laura Mae and 7 siblings. Orean was raised on a 177-acre farm in Monroe, North Carolina where he loved to fish and hunt. Orean attended Union County Schools and in high school, drove a school bus in Wesley Chapel where he was paid $1.00 a day. Orean enlisted in the Air Force and trained in Texas and California to become a Staff Seargent in the Korean War as a crew chief for bombers from 1953-1957.

Orean married Jean Whitley and had one son, Lee Jr. Years after her death, Orean married Edna Hughes and lived in Pineville, North Carolina. Upon her death he later moved to Monroe, North Carolina to care for his mother.

Orean retired in 2000 after working at Celense as a technician making cones of fiber. Orean had also worked at BASF and the Seaboard Railroad in South Carolina.

In his retirement years, he bought a vacation home on Lake Wateree, South Carolina and a condominium at Ocean Isle, North Carolina from his sister, Nan. Orean loved to sit in his rocking chair at the beach overlooking the waterway and attending concerts at the community park. Orean especially loved to watch NASCAR racing and attending family reunions at the FFA Camp in White Lake, North Carolina starting in 1966, whereas now the next generation has the honor to continue the tradition.

Left to mourn is his son, Lee, Jr. and son-in-law, Ron Hinds; and many nieces and nephews. Orean has finally been reunited with his brothers, Wesley, Andy, Pat, and Charles; and sisters, Libby, Nan, and Lillie Earle.

A service to celebrate Orean’s life will be held on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 12:00 pm at McEwen Funeral Home of Monroe, located at 204 South Main Street, Monroe, North Carolina with Chaplain Michael Tyler presiding. Burial with military honors will follow the service at Siler Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mcewenmonroechapel.com for the Keels family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials and donations can be made to Chandler Place Independent Living and Memory Care, 1786 India Hook Rd., Rock Hill, South Carolina, 29732 or Providence Care, 500 Lakeshore Parkway, Rock Hill, South Carolina, 29730. The family would like to thank both facilities for their kindness and care they gave to Orean.

McEwen Funeral Home of Monroe is honored to serve the family of Orean Leroy Keels.