Myra Junehelen Keyser

On June 26, 2012 God calmed her breath and stilled her heart, easing Myra from arthritic pain which she had endured for decades. Her final earthly exhale was followed by an inhale of complete peace, joy, comfort, and celebration. Myra will be remembered for her artistic talents including ceramics, toll painting, extraordinary flower beds, cooking, and beautifully crafted quilts. She is also remembered as a life-long friend and neighbor. Year round she purposefully designed her flowerbeds. In the winter her green thumb flipped the pages of various bulb magazines as she prepared for spring planting. Her gardens bloomed with radiant color and were filled with texture, contrast, and fragrance.

She enjoyed preparing meals for friends and family as they dropped by to visit. Her cooking was based on a recipe which she rarely followed, they were always tweaked to her perfection. No one has ever been able to replicate because the finest ingredient she always added was "Granny Myra's love".

Until her arthritic pain took its toll on her body, she was passionate about crafting quilts. Myra enjoyed traveling to quilt shows finishing her trip with a stop at the local quilt shop to purchase another tub of fabric for her next project. Even as she battled breast cancer she fulfilled her goal for each of her children and grandchildren to receive a quilt which she made uniquely for them.

Her gardens, cooking and quilting were superb, only exceeded by her love and compassion for family and friends. Myra took the time to cultivate relationships evident by those who remain dear to her from her youth to her inviting and opening her Wyoming doors to the snowbird friends she made while residing the winters in Arizona.

After retirement from a career as a book keeper, Myra enjoyed traveling with the love of her life, LeRoy, especially the trips to visit her brother, Billy and sister in law, Marilee as well as her cousins whom she grew up with on "cousin row" in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Supporting her children and grand children was close to her heart as she traveled great distance to attend concerts and sporting events. Her favorite time was when her grandchildren filled her home to learn a new craft, cook or help with her gardening

Myra was born on August 16, 1933 the first born child to William and Helen Ylitalo in Elo, Michigan. She was raised in a Finnish community and culture, not speaking English until grade school. Her father relocated the family to Wyoming in 1945 where she attended school and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1951. On October 26, 1951 she married George LeRoy Keyser. Together they raised five children, George, Dennis, David, Donald and Cyndi. As a couple Myra and LeRoy enjoyed square dancing, bowling, and snowmobiling with their dear mountain friends. As a family they enjoyed camping, fishing and riding snowmobiles. One of Myra's favorite places to spend time was at the family "cabin", a mountain home which LeRoy and she designed and built by hand from the ground up.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Jack Conrad Ylitalo nd in infancy David and Paul.

Myra will be honored and dearly missed by her husband, children and their spouses, 12 grand children and one great grandchild, and her younger brother. She was greeted in heaven by her parents and three younger brothers.

Memorial services will be 1:00 PM, Monday, July 2, 2012 at Newcomer Funeral Home 710 E. 2nd St. Casper, WY. 82601

Memorials may be made in Myra's name directly to your Local Hospice or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Pl Memphis, TN 38105.