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In memory of

Jay Kevin McKeown

Redding, CA, USA

January 7, 1963 - March 14, 2020

Jan 7, 1963 - Mar 14, 2020

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Jay Kevin McKeown passed away on Saturday, March 14th, 2020 surrounded by family and friends after a brief battle with a blood infection. He was 57.

Jay was born on January 7th, 1963 in Eureka, California. As a young boy he and his family moved to Redding, California where he resided until adulthood. It was there that he met and married the love of his life, Elizabeth (Meyer) McKeown, in 1985. A year later they welcomed their first daughter, Danielle Lynn McKeown (Walters). In the years to come they would welcome 3 more beautiful children, Elisa Marie McKeown (Rouse), Jaymee Kay McKeown (Sifers) and James Gerald McKeown II.

Jay, Liz and the kids moved to Santa Rosa, California in 1996 for work. It was there that Jay attended college and received a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. He graduated Suma Cum Laude. He went on to work for a company in San Rafael as a graphic designer. He also started and ran his own business; McKell Realistic Racing, a company that created and sold model buildings for slot car tracks.

In 2009 Jay and Liz moved back to Redding to be closer to their family and children. It was there that he first became a grandfather to his first granddaughter, Livia Lynn Sifers. He would go on to have 7 more grandchildren.

Jay was an incredibly talented and creative man. His passion for creativity and his love to create led him to pursue the career of graphic design. He was always planning, creating and developing new ideas for projects he could create to make people happy. He built his "man cave" in the garage that he filled with ways to get his friends and family gathered together around the things he loved most: music, sports and games. He loved to have people over to watch the 49ers and NASCAR, hang out and play the drums or guitar, or play a new game together.

He was also a very talented musician. Jay played the drums, guitar and bass. He started playing guitar when he was young and as a teenager played in a band called Savage with his close friends. His love for music never went away. He would spend his free time playing music, recording his songs and finding new music he liked. Being in front of his drum set playing along to a new song he had discovered was his happy place in life. And he loved to share it with those he loved. He would often let the grandkids sit and wail on the drums while he would gently try to show them how to carry the beat. He never cared how loud or off beat they were, he just loved to have them playing music with him.

Jay was also the biggest goof. He loved to laugh and get people to laugh along with him. There were never a shortage of corny jokes when he was around. You always knew that if you were going to take a picture of him, he would undoubtedly make the weirdest face he could. He brought the laughter with him everywhere he went.

Jay was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle and friend. He spent the last few weeks of his life truly treasuring all the blessings he had been given. He knew how loved he truly was and that God had given him so much to be thankful for. He was deeply grateful for his wife, kids, grandchildren, siblings and friends. He left this world with the peace of knowing that he was truly and deeply loved by so many.

Jay is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Lynn McKeown; children Danielle Lynn Walters, Elisa Marie Rouse, Jaymee Kay Sifers and James Gerald McKeown II; his grandchildren Hudson Jay Randall Walters, Lilyana Rose Rouse, Ella Judith Rouse, Adalyn Elizabeth Rouse, Anthony Dean Rouse, Livia Lynn Sifers, McKenna Kay Sifers, and Bailey Marie McKeown; brothers and sisters Berk Brown, Karen Armstrong, Mike McKeown and Kaci Lopez. He is preceded in death by his parents James "Jerry" Gerald McKeown and Jacqueline Marie McKeown.

Family members will be scattering Jay's ashes in Eureka, California in a private ceremony. It was Jay's wish to be laid to rest in the redwood trees he played in as a child. Friends and family will be invited to join the McKeown family in a celebration of life later in the year. We will announce the date here as we get the details for the celebration.

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