Melissa Ann Keathley

Funeral services for Melissa Ann Keathley, age 65, of Gilmer will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2022, at 11am at the First United Methodist Church in Gladewater. Graveside services will be held at Restland Cemetery in Dallas at a later time. Mrs. Keathley passed away on November 24, 2022, in Longview.

Melissa was born on July 9, 1957, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from University of Texas, Austin with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1978. While attending UT Austin, she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she decided to further her education attending Houston Baptist University and earning her Master of Science degree in 1989. While attending Houston Baptist University, she met Frank Keathley Jr. whom she married on January 16, 1993. She began her nursing career working as the assistant director of surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston. During her career, she worked as the Director of Surgery at several hospitals including Memorial City Hospital in Houston, Clear Lake Regional Hospital, and University of Texas Health Science Center of Tyler. Melissa was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Gladewater and the Chancel Choir. She was a co-owner of Top Shelf Antiques and enjoyed collecting and selling antique Victorian glassware. She and Frank traveled extensively in the US and abroad, spending their time shopping and site-seeing, and went on three Viking cruises on the Rhine, Danube, and Elbe Rivers.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband Frank Keathley Jr. of Gilmer, church family, and several friends and coworkers that will miss her greatly.