Patricia A (Hiles) Keener

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, Patricia Ann (Hiles) Keener passed away peacefully at Akron General Hospital following a brief but fierce bout with cancer. While hospitalized, Patty was surrounded by her loving family and friends who filled the room with love and memories while she finished her earthly journey. Born in 1954 in Dayton, Ohio, to Albert and Doris (Penrod) Hiles, Patty was the spunky one in her family. She was a 1972 graduate of Norwayne High School, and attended the Wayne County JVS. In 1976, she married Gary Keener, of Sullivan; the crazy couple eloped to Winchester, Virginia, for their vows. Patty began as an employee of Westfield Insurance in high school, continuing for 18 years. The Lord closed that chapter after Patty experienced profound hearing loss as an adult, and this was a particularly rough patch for her. She eventually looked upward and onward, walking through the new door the Lord had opened for her. She embraced her deafness by learning American Sign Language, becoming active in Deaf Clubs in Mansfield and Ashland, and helping to start a deaf ministry at the Ashland Assembly of God. Patty went on to work for many years at FirstMerit (now Huntington) Bank in Wellington, Ohio, as a teller, where her deafness was embraced as an asset. When her first grandchild was born, Patty relocated for a time to northern Virginia, where she obtained work with Justice Federal Credit Union in Chantilly. After retiring, she continued to visit Virginia frequently to see her four grandkids, which “kept her young” while adding to her gray hairs count. In her spare time, she worked to perfect her cooking, which usually meant smothering it with cheese or burning something. She had more cookbooks than the Library of Congress. Her best dish, as her grandkids would attest, was her grits and bacon, with a second-place finish for her biscuits and gravy. Patty also developed a love of sewing, and produced and sold embroidered canvas totes and various crafty things locally. Her love for her family and her faith in God were her rock and the foundation that carried her through life. She was a devoted Christian, an imperfect human determined to walk daily in the footprints of Christ. Patty was also an avid bowler who achieved local greatness of sorts, as shown by the various award plaques lining the wall of her home. She bowled for many years in the Lady Eagles league in Wellington and various Ashland leagues at Luray Lanes, and competed in regional and state tournaments as often as she could. She was awarded the “Bowler of the Year” award for Wellington twice from 2000 to 2002. She won the 2007 Ashland Women’s City Tournament in the Actual All-Events category with a score of 1,813. Patty is survived by her husband, Gary, of West Salem; her daughter, Jennifer (Ryan) Apple and grandchildren Royce, Franklin, Thomas, and Tabitha Apple, all of Roanoke, Virginia; plus siblings Betty (Ned) Hileman, Alberta (Don) Lambert, Susie (Sandy) Loparo, and Carl “Butch” (Lori) Hiles. She has numerous extended family and friends who love her and who will miss her. She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert Hiles and Doris Whitmore. Matteson Funeral Home of West Salem is assisting with her final arrangements. While there will be no immediate funeral services, there will be a celebration of life gathering on June 29, 2025, at the Rittman Moose Lodge. More details will be shared by the family on social media as they are finalized. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider making a donation in her name to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation to support research and, someday, a cure for the very aggressive subtype of cancer that took Patty away from us much too soon: https://tnbcfoundation.org/support-us.

Matteson Funeral Home is honored to serve the Keener family and community. Online condolences and memories

may be shared by visiting www.mattesonfh.com.