Sheila Marie (Schlepp) Keefe

Sheila Marie Keefe passed away, at age 59, in her Idaho Falls home on May 25, 2022.

The daughter of Jacob and Lottie Schlepp, she was born the youngest of six children in Circle, Montana, on May 24, 1963. She grew up on the west side of Vida, Montana, where she spoke unfavorably of rattlesnakes on her doorstep and reminisced of growing up in the Sand Creek Community and attending the one-room country grade school with a live-in teacher.

The family moved a few years later to Ovando, Montana, where she finished her elementary years. She enjoyed long walks and fishing on Warren Creek and often brought dinner home. She attended high school at Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, South Dakota, and one year of college at Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.

When she was sixteen, she met the love of her life, Kevin O. Keefe, whom she married at age nineteen. After serving Kevin's term in the Navy, they settled in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to raise their three girls, Allicia, Melissa, and Danielle. She met her lifelong friends, Kathy Johnson and Robin Schlenker, while waitressing at the Country Club and The Loft. Together, Sheila and Kevin started "Get a KLU," a polar fleece outerwear business based out of their home and known for bright and whimsical ski hats. Later in life, they built a legacy cabin in Ashton, Idaho, where they loved to share and make memories with their grandkids and loved ones. Sheila devotedly took care of Kevin as he struggled through cancer and gracefully passed away in her arms.

Sheila was known for her devout affection and relationship with our Lord and Savior. This love overflowed to anyone in her vicinity and had no barriers. She loved involving herself with her local church wherever she was. She played so many pivotal roles in our lives, as a mother, wife, sister, aunt, grandma, and friend. Her nature was always nurturing and she loved caring for others. She enjoyed cooking and baking and was famous for her cookies and granola. Her favorite pastimes were volunteering, tennis, gardening, badminton, Christian radio, cribbage, snapping photos of her family, and she was an avid cat lover.

Sheila is survived by her daughters, Allicia Keefe, Melissa Jenkins, and Danielle Anderson; and six grandkids, Kamdyn, Evelyn, Avery, Thad, Ivy, and Anaya.

Sheila's Memorial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on June 25, 2022, at St. John Lutheran Church, 290 7th Street in Idaho Falls. A luncheon and fellowship will follow. Please wear bright, cheerful attire. The service will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend. Please find further details on St. John Lutheran's website: stjohnministries.net where the service will be linked on the church's Facebook and YouTube channels.

We are reminded of her every time we see a dandelion, honey bees, lilacs, and sunflowers. If you are moved to action in your grief, she would be honored to have you brew some tea and relax, play in a garden, listen to “For King and Country,” or help a stranger or friend in need. She would also love you to treat yourself to some Reed's Dairy ice cream or visit Browning's Honey. If you are further called to action monetarily, we ask that in lieu of cut flowers, that you donate to her favorite charities and nonprofits: the National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI), KLOVE radio, the Botanical Garden in Boise, the MK Nature Center in Boise, or the Red Cross.