Randy Lee Keffeler
Randy Keffeler was born to this life in Sturgis, SD on September 10, 1961, and entered eternal life on March 4, 2022. He met his soulmate of 28 years, Susie, and they were married February 26, 1993. They raised two sons; Austin Cole (Kelsey) and Chaney Lee.
Randy attended school in Stoneville K-8th grade and then attended high school in Newell. Upon completion of school, he continued his passion of ranching and farming. Randy and Susie initially lived in the old Staulbaum house where he worked the family ranch and eventually moved to the home place on Red Owl Creek, where they continued raising their family and working the ranch. In 2020 they decided to leave the ranch and they moved to town into Piedmont where they both found work and fostered very strong relationships with their neighbors and church family.
Where do we all begin in defining Randy Keffeler?
If you were to ask Randy if he met strangers, he would quickly say there are no strangers in this world, just friends you haven’t met yet. He opened his life to everyone and his presence was such that people knew him far and wide and he kept in touch with all of them. He positively impacted many lives and was loved by so many that it will surely leave an empty space in all our hearts. He always had a kind word and was genuinely interested and cared about how someone was feeling and doing. He wanted to know everything about you and you walked away knowing you had just made an instant friend. Randy was a giver and offered anything he could to help someone out; it never occurred to him that these intentions were exceptional to most of us, in his mind it was just how you treated family, friends, and anyone who happened to be lucky enough to meet him.
Randy coached several youth teams and loved to be around kids. The church youth would clamor to get candy from Randy not knowing he was giving them vitamins. We also learned that, according to Randy, peppermint essential oil cures any ailment. Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard how much he adored his corn and John Deere equipment? There was so much more to Randy’s life that it can’t be put into words. Everyone has a story to tell and they are all good. Randy’s life was truly defined by his community and the land he dearly loved.
But this is not the end of Randy’s story as he was introduced to his Savior, Jesus Christ, then followed with the steps of obedience and baptism on September 23, 2018, and his life was impacted in a way that was indescribable to him. This brought him an even larger family and community to embrace and opened avenues of love, worship, and spiritual growth that profoundly impacted his life in so many ways.
Randy is survived by his wife, Susie; sons, Austin Cole (Kelsey) and Chaney Lee; mother, Darliene Keffeler; mother-in-law, Shirley Carter; his sisters, Mary Anne Lange (Kurt), Wanda Schuelke (Marty); brothers, Danny Keffeler, Rodney Keffeler, and Todd Keffeler; sister-in-law, Karen Workman; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Maurice.
A celebration of life was held Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Central Meade County Community Center in Union Center, SD. Following the services Randy was laid to rest in Red Owl at Pleasant View Cemetery.
