Keith Alan Carter

Keith Alan Carter, 65, of Patriot, Ohio, passed away June 21, 2017, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Keith was born July 4, 1951, in Ironton, Ohio to the late Joseph Daniel Carter and Lucille Harrison Carter. He lived in the shadow of the family-owned Carter’s Grocery of Cadmus, Ohio all his life. A longtime basketball coach at Southwestern and Kyger Creek High Schools, Keith had graduated from Southwestern High School in 1969, from Rio Grande College in 1974 and from the University of Dayton in 1991. Upon retiring from coaching, Keith served in several capacities of educational administration for the Gallia County Local Schools. He retired from public education in 2008 to pursue his first love, farming, fulltime. A member of Sand Fork Baptist Church, Keith recently attended Cheshire Baptist Church. Keith is survived by his son, Jay Alan Carter; daughters, Kristy Jo (Robert) Akers, Joy Annette (Mark) Runyon; the mother of his children, Lois Cornell Carter; four grandchildren, Grace Anne Runyon, Matthew Wesley Runyon, Ava Marie Akers, and Bodie Preston Akers; two nephews, Gene (Pauline) Sheets and Lynn (JoAnne) Sheets; great-niece and nephews, Mercedes, Logan, and Carter Sheets; an honorary son, Steve Shaffer; and a special friend, Linda Hall. In addition to his parents, Keith was preceded in death by his sister, Lois Jean Carter Sheets in 2008 and his brother-in-law, William Paige Sheets in 2007. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 27, 2017, at Willis Funeral Home, with Rev. Phil Taylor and Rev. Jerry Sickles officiating. Visiting hours will be 4-7 p.m. Monday, June 26, 2017. His burial will follow in Salem Cemetery.