Steve Keesee took pride in his World War II service in Europe.
Steve Keesee took pride in his World War II service in Europe. (Handout)

Ballard "Steve" Keesee of Eustis loved to tell stories about his World War II service, often with funny flair.

"He said he got a free trip to Europe, paid for by the government," said his wife, Shirley. "He had a good sense of humor. He said, 'At the end of my tour, Patton was my tour guide.'"


Patton was Gen. George Patton, one of the war's memorable figures. Keesee got his hands on every World War II book he could find and shared his own story at a nephew's high school in Ohio.

Keesee, who died Monday at 92, was a patriot.

"His funeral is going to be all red, white and blue," his wife said. "He loved his country. He was proud to be a soldier in the U.S. Army. He went to different memorial services around here."

To Betty Jean Smith of Worthington Springs, her brother was not just a sibling. "He went into the service when I was 5," she said. "He was my hero. He was wounded three times. He was this bigger-than-life person to me. My parents, the worry they went through, while he was gone."

Keesee was gone from 1940 to 1945. He was in the second wave of soldiers to come into Normandy, he helped liberate Luxembourg, and he was in Germany, France and Belgium, his wife said.

"He was a combat soldier. He said he marched across Europe," she said. "He would always tell you a story. I should have recorded them, and I didn't."

Keesee received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with two oakleaf clusters (representing the three times he was wounded) and France's Legion of Honor. From one battle, he had more than 20 pieces of shrapnel on his left side, his wife said.

He was born in Kentucky, lived in Ohio after the war, and then moved to Tampa, where he worked in the U.S. Postal Service. He moved to Tennessee for a decade, but returned to Florida in 2004.

He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Tavares and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8087 of Eustis.

"Steve was very active with our church," said Kevin Nelis, president of the church's men's group. "He'd always bring in newspaper articles, especially around the Fourth of July and Veterans Day. He carried a cane around with him, and it had a bald eagle on it. It had his name on a brass plate."

The cane was a conversation piece to get Keesee talking about veterans and how much they meant to him.

"He was always talking about the sacrifices they made," Nelis said. "We were all in awe, listening to his stories. He didn't go into a lot of depth. My dad was a World War II veteran, and I was always moved. I couldn't wait for more. He was very admired by all us."

Keesee would have been 93 later this month. But he was undergoing kidney dialysis and had fallen several times.

"He would never tell you he was in pain," his wife said. "I would tell him, 'What do we have around here that's 92 and works?' He would just laugh. He was just tired, so tired. He was a good soldier. He fought to the end."


Keesee's other survivors include a daughter, Karen Myland of Stone Mountain, Ga.; another sister, Thelma Scott of Piqua, Ohio; a grandson; and a great-granddaughter.

Hamlin & Hilbish Funeral Directors of Eustis is handling arrangements.