Don Eugene Keysor

Donald Eugene Keysor of Union City, California, passed away on Friday, January 22, 2021, at the age of 97.

Don was born in Van Wert on August 22, 1923, the son of James Artie and Gladys (Hebb) Keysor, who both preceded him in death. He grew up on the Keysor family farm and attended Bowling Green State University for two years before serving in the United States Army from 1943-45 during World War II.

Don served in General Patton’s Third Army and was captured in December 1944, becoming a prisoner of war in Germany. He escaped in April 1945 and made his way to Allied troops advancing into Germany on the front line. Don received two Purple Heart medals with Oak Leaf Cluster and two Bronze Star medals. 

After the war, Don graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in finance and began a 37-year career in finance with the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York. It was there that he met the love of his life, the former Betty Jean Brogue, and they married July 17, 1948. 

In 1955, Don, Betty, and their three children moved to San Jose, California, where he took a position in General Electric’s newly created Nuclear Energy Division. The family lived for many years in San Jose, with a stint in Bombay (Mumbai), India, in 1964-65. After their children were grown, Don and Betty lived in Tokyo, Japan, for three years in the early 1980s, where he spent the last years of his General Electric career as the Far East operations manager for the Nuclear Energy Division.

Don and Betty loved to travel, and they visited many countries around the globe. They were especially fond of camping. Once retired, they sold their home in San Jose and spent five years in their RV traveling the United States, Eastern Canada, and Mexico, eventually visiting all 48 of the lower United States.

Don was a Mason and resided with Betty at the Acacia Creek Retirement Community in Union City, California. His cremains will be inurned at Arlington National Cemetery. The Library of Congress Veterans History Project has an entry for Don, including an oral history interview, which is located at https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.17807.

Don is survived by his wife, Betty; sons Wayne (Jodee) Keysor and James (Elaine) Keysor; daughter Joan Keysor; grandsons Evan (Rhonda), Aaron (Kate), and Wyatt; and great-grandchildren Betty and Timothy.

Don was also preceded in death by his brothers, Harold, Wayne, Dale, and Kenneth; and a sister, Pauline.

Due to the pandemic, a memorial service will not be held at this time.