As the New Year opened and as she slept, Edith Dill Keene, 106, peacefully passed on to her heavenly home to be with her Lord and Savior, family members and friends who preceded her.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, January 6, 2014 at 11:00 A.M at First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, 118 N. Palmetto Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida, 32114. A time for visitation will begin at 10:00 A.M at the church.

Edith was born on August 14, 1907 to William Joseph and Philo Dill in Clayhill, Georgia. When a young girl, she, along with her family moved to Ocilla, Georgia where she attended elementary school and high school. As a young girl and lady she was quite the "tom boy" having six older brothers with whom to compete. Upon completion of high school, she attended Georgia Teacher's College where she earned her teaching certificate for elementary education.

In September of 1935, Mrs. Keene was married to George M. Keene, O.D, and moved to Savannah, Georgia where her husband practiced optometry. While in Savannah her son, Donald, was born in 1939. In 1944, and following a two year residence in Miami, Florida, she along with her family moved to Daytona Beach where her husband opened his office to practice optometry and he practiced there until retirement in 2003.

Immediately upon arriving in Daytona Beach, Mrs. Keene became active in First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach by teaching four-year-olds in Sunday school. She continued her mission of teaching her "four year olds" for 58 years during which time she touched the lives of hundreds upon hundreds of children, literally teaching generations of children. In addition to her Sunday school teaching, Mrs. Keene actually used her teaching skills as a substitute teacher within our local school system. Within her church at First Baptist of Daytona, she served as director of pre-school Church training and pre-school vacation bible school and mission study chairman of Baptist women.

Mrs. Keene's civic services include her serving as president of the North Ridgewood PTA, president of Mainland Sr. PTA for two terms, president, program chairman, and membership chairman for the Volusia/Flagler Council PTA. Additionally, she served as president of the Florida State PTA. In 1956 Mrs. Keene served the Palmetto Club as the chairman of their fine arts department and in 1961 served as president of the Palmetto Club and since then serving as a life member of the Palmetto Club. Also, in 1961 she was president of the Ridgewood Garden Club.

Other community organizations in which and for which she served include her very active involvement with civic music, Museum of Arts and Sciences, and serving on the YWCA board of directors and chairman of the YWCA membership committee. Mrs. Keene's love of Jesus Christ and her church has been the focal point of her life. She has had the honor and privilege of serving as a voting ambassador to several international world Baptist conventions.

More directly, Mrs. Keene has worked tirelessly as a member and past president of her local and state Women's Missionary Union WMU whose goal is directed to foreign missions. In 1993 the Florida Baptist State Convention honored Mrs. Keene as one of five "faithful servants". The Florida WMU wanted to recognize women who have modeled faithful servanthood. Mrs. Keene has been predeceased in death by her mother and dad, William Joseph and Philo Dill; her six brothers, Cecil, Hoyt, Joe, Ralph, Wayne and Autry Dill; her granddaughter Stephanie Keene and her husband George M. Keene, O.D.

She is survived by her son Donald M. Keene, D.D.S. a retired local periodontist, his wife Carolyn, grandson Gregory D. Keene D.M.D, his wife Jaimee, and two great grandsons of Boulder, CO.

For those who so desire, Mrs. Keene would greatly appreciate any donations to be sent to First Baptist Church (For W.M.U), 118 N. Palmetto Ave, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 or Florida Hospital Hospice Care, 770 West Granada Blvd #304, Ormond Beach, FL 32174.