Jan. 17, 1941 — Jan. 11, 2025
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On Jan. 17, 1941, Frank Dixon started home from Spokane in a widespread snowstorm, trying to get back to Pomeroy. Margaret, his wife, was delivering their second child, a girl to be named Jeanne Marie Dixon by her father.
As circumstance would have it there were two Mrs. Dixons having a child at the same time in the small two-room Pomeroy Hospital. Jeanne joined her 4-year-old brother John. Their second brother David came in 1949. They were so spaced that when David was in the first grade, Jeanne was a freshman in high school and John was a freshman at Washington State College. During World War II, Frank worked for the government as a surveyor and the family lived in Pomeroy or Pataha.
At 5 years old, Jeanne took tap dancing lessons at the Pomeroy Maple Hall (two years to be exact because the teacher quit because there was no heat in the building). Jeanne really liked school and learning. In the first grade she decided she wanted to go to college and never gave up on that goal. After age 10, Jeanne spent years in 4-H winning awards in sewing, cooking and showing animals. During high school she was an assistant 4-H leader. She joined the Pomeroy Methodist Church at 12 years old and led the Methodist Youth Fellowship teen program. Also, at 12 years old, she joined Job’s Daughters, which she enjoyed. Her favorite part was the “Mother’s, Father’s and Guardian’s Prayer.” She served as the Pomeroy Bethel’s Job’s Daughters Honored Queen her senior year of high school. She was the valedictorian of her high school class at Pomeroy High School.
On Jan. 17, 1959, (her 18th birthday) David Keatts asked her to marry him and she agreed. In August of 1959, David and Jeanne were married. They soon moved to Pullman and entered Washington State College. Both of them worked at various jobs to get through school. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honors in business administration in 1964. Jeanne was never one to do things the easy way — while in college, Jeanne had their first son, Kevin, in May 1961, and a second child, Kristina, in June 1963. They had their final child, Kenton, in June 1965. The marriage ended in 1978.
In 1964, the family moved to Clarkston and Jeanne has lived there in the same home for nearly 60 years. Both Jeanne and Dave served in the Jaycees, a community service organization, performing services such as the Christmas star and the Easter cross on the hill, the Fourth of July firework shows and providing toys and gifts for children at Christmas. Jeanne held district and state offices as a Jay-C-Ette.
In 1966, Jeanne applied for jobs to extend the family income. Several employers turned her down because she was better educated than them. Finally, she was employed by the Zirbel Trucking company at the robust wage of $1.25 an hour. She worked there until the fall of 1968 when she started her own business, Girl Friday Accounting. Three businesses jointly rented a building on Sixth Street in Clarkston, now a part of Wasem’s Drug Store. She took $50 from the grocery money to make a down payment on a telephone which, due to lack of any furniture, sat in the middle of the floor for several weeks. By October, she had an address, a phone number, office furniture, letterhead and business cards. A cardboard sign in the window offered income tax return preparation. A surprising number of people showed up in 1969, more in ’70, ’71 and ’72.
In 1972, Jeanne was invited to join an accounting organization holding an inaugural meeting in Olympia. Driving a rattletrap car, she made the trip and it was life changing. Jeanne met people from Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, Portland, Spokane and Washington, D.C., who were warmly welcoming to her and many of whom became lifelong friends. Later that year, she passed the Exam for Enrolled Agents to be formally recognized by the IRS. She retained those credentials for the next 50 years by testing and renewing her certification. Later, she earned her financial advising certifications and was a certified financial planner.
In 1976, at age 35, Jeanne was the youngest president ever elected for the Washington Association of Accountants Organization, and stayed active in it until about 2000. Over the years she traveled to places like Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Honolulu and Puerto Rico for meetings and seminars.
To broaden her social network, Jeanne joined Beta Sigma Phi and the Red Hat Society, and enjoyed their meetings and activities. Jeanne later joined chapter FE of PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization), which help’s women of all ages and stages to get better education. Jeanne also volunteered her time with Altrusa and Habitat for Humanity, holding several key executive board positions.
In 1980, Ken came to his mom and said, “Why don’t you come to my church?” She attended the Clarkston Presbyterian Church for the first time and continued for the rest of her life. She was an active member of the congregation, serving at various times as the treasurer, deacon, elder and member of the pastor selection committee.
In the 1980s, Jeanne was involved with the Lewiston Civic Theater. There she served on the board of directors and also appeared in chorus roles, along with her son Ken, in “Brigadoon” and “The Stingiest Man in Town.”
Having traveled in the United States, Jeanne decided she wanted to travel further. In 1991, with her son Ken working in the U.S. Embassy in the Soviet Union, Jeanne got a passport. Jeanne flew by Yugoslav Air to Moscow, Russia, with an overnight stay in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. She was a “guest of the embassy” and could come and go as she pleased. Since then, Jeanne has traveled to more than 60 foreign countries, traveling with family and friends and had exciting adventures. A few highlights were riding a camel in Petra, Jordan, and having lunch in the Eiffel Tower in Paris and visiting the Great Wall of China. Jeanne kept journals of many of her travels. Many of these journals can be viewed online at keattslindsey.wixsite.com\jeannekeatts.
About 2007, Jeanne adopted her beloved dog ‘‘Duke,’’ who was her constant companion and office mascot. Duke provided Jeanne with companionship for many years. After Jeanne had a catastrophic illness in 2015, she worked for three more years, then decided to retire completely at age 77, and celebrated with a festive 50-year retirement party.
In 2014, Jeanne met Bob Williams through the Presbyterian Church. They became inseparable friends and loving companions for each other, sharing intellectual pursuits, travel, meals, rides in the country and good times with family. Sadly, Bob preceded Jeanne in death in February 2024.
Jeanne died on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. She was 83. Jeanne was preceded in death by her father, Frank Dixon, mother Margaret Tate Dixon, brother John Dixon and his wife Margaret Thomas Dixon, and brother David Dixon. Jeanne is survived by children Kevin (Janice) Keatts, Kristina (Greg) Umbright and Ken (Steven Pendleton) Keatts, six grandchildren, Mirenda Stenbakken, Angie Wittwer, Nick Umbright, Tammy Bates, Lindsey Gump and David Livingston, 10 great-grandchildren, longtime friend Arden Leavitt, and many friends and loved ones.
A celebration of life will be held for Jeanne at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, which would have been her 84th birthday, at the Clarkston Presbyterian Church, 1122 Diagonal St., Clarkston.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jeanne’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.
