Keith Algreen

ALGREEN, ADAMS, PHILLIPS, SAFFELL KIRK, BEAMAN, MERICAL, WILSON

Posted By: Treva Patterson (email)
Date: 3/31/2006 at 18:32:54

Winterset Madisonian
October 22, 1986

Services for Keith Algreen, 11, son of Marilyn Kay Adams of Earlham and Bobby Joe Algreen of San Antonio, Texas, who died Thursday after a farm accident, were held Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, at the Earlham Community High School with the Rev. Cheri Gilner officiating. Burial was at the Earlham Cemetery.

The boy suffocated when he fell into a wagon of shelled corn at his farm home.

He was born in Creston, attended Earlham Community School and was a member of Early Chapel Church.

Keith had told his mother two days before the accident about his concern for a boy in a neighboring town who had need of a liver transplant. "Gee, mom, if anything ever happened to me, he could sure have my liver," Keith said.

Because of this, his parents decided to allow his organs to be donated to others in need.

Keith, during his short life, was interested in camping and raising rabbits, goats, ducks and chickens. His uncle Bob taught him how to catch garter snakes and he fished and enjoyed the outdoors, according to his parents.

He attended Bible camp this past summer, and treasured church and Sunday school, his parents said. He was helpful around the farm and his favorite line was, "Well, I'd better go see what I can do to help." His parents said he helped put up the grain bin, learned how to mow with the push mower, picked strawberries, green beans and tomatoes, walked beans, learned how to cut the corn out of beans.

Survivors include his stepfather, Darrell Adams, and mother; his father; sisters, Kelly and Kimberly Algreen and Kandi Beaman, all of Earlham; brothers, Kent Adams of Des Moines and Kraig Adams of Redfield; his grandparents, Keith and Edna Algreen of Winterset, Ralph and Wanda Merical of Perry, Meredith and Laveta Adams of Earlham and Mary Wilson of Oklahoma.

Keith was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Ed and Corrine Phillips; grandfather Albert Saffell and first cousin Vance Kirk.
-------------------

Earlham Echo - October 23, 1986
Earlham, Iowa

Keith A. Algreen was born April 20, 1975 and passed away October 16, 1986.

Keith was a very special boy. He did something that most of us aren’t capable of doing; he lived every day as if there were no tomorrow. He accomplished in his 11 years far more than most people could in a lifetime. He loved everyone so much and touched so many lives. He was such a good boy.

This past summer was a very special time in his life; he experienced so many neat things. He started off the summer with a week at Grandma and Grandpa Mericals, who are now both retired, and later in the summer he stayed yet another week with them. He became real well acquainted with them, cousins, aunts and uncles. He camped out and roughed it through a rain storm, he chored and took care of rabbits, goats, ducks and chickens. Speedy was his favorite rabbit. Uncle Bob taught him how to catch garter snakes; he fished and enjoyed the outdoors. He did more in those two weeks than he expected to do all summer and felt it was a lot more fun than his offer to go to the state fair. He attended annual bible camp for a week with his friends and enjoyed the songs and jokes that he learned, as well as the group picture.

One day Keith found a few “gold nuggets” in the driveway. Marion told him about some more on a road nearby and he spent two weeks picking up gold nuggets, knowing that they were probably fools gold. He worked many hours, even recruited his sister Kim to help some. They rode their bikes, picking up rocks and moving on down the road. He said if the sun was shining he could spot them easily. He was so proud of his little pouch of nuggets. He stopped at Grandpa and Grandma Adams showing them his findings and waited patiently for the tests to tell him they were iron pyrite (fools gold), but our little prospector didn’t find it any less valuable.

Keith was a very eager little boy to help with tasks around the farm; he couldn’t be still. His favorite line was, “Well, I’d better go see what I can do to help.” He helped put up the grain bin and learned how to mow with the push mower, picked strawberries, green beans and tomatoes, walked beans and learned how to cut the corn out of beans. Keith started picking apples for everyone when they were just right. The apples were plentiful this year and he made sure everyone had plenty for apple pie, one of his favorites. He was involved in many family projects and was the anchor of some really great team work. Keith loved to draw space ships and space creatures and always found time to play with Megan, Annie and Joey; they were a very special part of his life.

He treasured church and Sunday school and was a good little Christian, a very important member in our church family and we will all have our special memories. He read and studied his 10-volume set of Bible stories from beginning to end. His favorite story touched all our lives in a special way not long ago—the story about the coat of many colors.

He loved to sing. A special song that he sang with his Bible school group and Early Chapel Sunday School group was “Kids Under Construction.”

His favorite songs that his mother sang at church were: “One Day At A Time: and “How Great Thou Art.”

A truly special thing that Keith was involved in was helping to plan a fund raiser for a little boy in a neighboring town for a liver transplant. While visiting with his mother about this days before his accident, his comment was, “Gee, Mom, if anything ever happened to me, he could sure have my liver.” That’s the kind of boy he was. Well, Keith is going to be able to touch many lives and parts of him will see and do things that he would never have done. He is going to be a hero all over the world because his working organs were donated. He had a heart of gold that was very strong and Keith will have saved someone else’s life.

His classmates made him a tape that his mother played to him over and over. They all talked to him and this helped him to find peace. Keith, we all love you very much. Watch over us and continue to keep us watching our footsteps. You get to help Jesus carry us through troubled times. We love you.

Keith was preceded in death by his great granparents, Ed and Corrine Phillips; grandfather Albert Saffell and first cousin Vance Kirk.

Those left to mourn his passing are his mother and stepfather, Marilyn and Darrell Adams of Earlham; his father, Bobby Joe Algreen of San Antonio, Texas; his sisters, Kelly and Kimberly Algreen and Kandi Beaman, all of Earlham; two brothers Kent Adams of Des Moines and Kraig Adams of Redfield; his grandparents, Keith and Edna Algreen of Winterset, Ralph and Wanda Merical of Perry, Meredith and Laveta Adams of Earlham and Mary Wilson of Oklahoma; two nieces, Megan Jo and Annaliese Emma Beaman and one nephews, Joseph Harvey Beaman, all of Earlham, many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Funeral services were held October 19, 1986 at the Earlham Community High School, Earlham, Iowa with Reverend Cheri Gilner officiating. Music was provided by two pianists, Suzanne Turner and Donna Faust. Pallbearers were Paul Turner, Russell Leeper, Dale Smith, Charles Hochstetler, John Clague and Francis Faust. Honorary pallbearers were Brook Turner, Kevin Hochstetler, Jason Hirsch, Christopher Rickets and Von Wolf. Interment was in Earlham Cemetery, Earlham, Iowa.

Professional arrangements by McKee Funeral Homes, Earlham and Dexter.

Gravestone Photo
 

Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen