Obituary: Despite ailment that took leg, Keckley made it home

Web Posted: 11/29/2006 09:47 PM CST

Carmina Danini
Express-News Staff Writer

Until June, Harvey Keckley was full of life and vigor. He had a good job with Grey Forest Utilities, owned a horse boarding stable and went fishing when he could.
There were other things he enjoyed: his family and the music of the Beatles.

Life was good.

A fishing trip to the Gulf Coast in June changed all that when he contracted a flesh-eating bacterium that mauled his leg and organs.

The next month, he underwent a leg amputation.

Beatles music was playing when Keckley, 55, died in his wife's arms Monday morning of complications from the illness.

Harvey Keckley
Born: Aug. 21, 1951, in Atlanta, Ga.
Died: Nov. 27, 2006, in San Antonio

Survived by: His wife, Janet Keckley; a daughter, Tammy Garretson; a granddaughter, Bethany Laura Lee Garretson, all of San Antonio; a sister, Irene Wells of Fresno, Calif.; and a brother, Denzil Keckley of Florence, Ala.

Services: Informal service Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Keckleys' 5 Star Ranch at 15050 W. FM 471; a celebration of his life will be held in the spring.

"He was my sweet Georgia boy who loved to fish and loved life," said his wife, Janet.

Married since 1985, the couple owned and operated the 5 Star Stables and Storage, a small business established to "provide a safe and comfortable environment for God's creatures and the people who love them," says its Web site.

Besides horses, the Keckleys stored boats and recreational vehicles at their facility outside Loop 1604 and Culebra Road on the far West Side.

A photo taken last year for the family's Christmas card shows Harvey Keckley as a tall, slender, fit-looking man, his left arm on his wife's shoulder.

Seven months later, the bacterium attacked his body, entering through a small cut in his leg.

"I didn't pay any attention to it (the cut)," Keckley told the San Antonio Express-News for a story last month. "I was too busy catching fish."

The months after he lost his leg were spent in the hospital learning the most basic of chores: bathing, dressing, building strength, using a wheelchair.

His goal was to return home. He did, just a few weeks ago.

"There isn't one thing. It's just home," Keckley said. "It's more than home. It's a dream we've been working for."

To make it easier for him, a ramp was added for his wheelchair.

"God decided to keep me around a little longer, so I'm going to live a good life and do whatever it is I'm supposed to do," he said. "He kept me around for a reason, and one of these days, I'll figure it out."

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cdanini@express-news.net