James “Jim” Keenan, Age 97, of Butte

Our beloved father and grandfather, Jim Keenan, died in Butte on September 23^rd, 2023.

How do you summarize a long and incredible life within the margins of a single newspaper page? Before proceeding, use the bathroom and get yourself a large cup of coffee.

Jim Keenan was born at home in Butte, MT. on January 06, 1926, to James and Mary Keenan who had immigrated to Butte from Ireland—James left Ireland in 1908 and eventually made his way to the mines of Butte after spending some time mining in Canada. In 1913, after earning enough money to purchase a home and pay for a ticket for her travel to Butte from Ireland—James sent for Mary, and they were finally able to get married and start a family after having not seen each other for nearly six years. James and Mary went on to have five children: “Baby Keenan” who died shortly after his birth, Mary, Rita, Anna and finally, our dad, young James (Jim).

Jim grew up during The Great Depression but never had anything to say except for what a good childhood he had running the streets of Butte with his friends playing hoop stick, football, speed skating, hiking in the “foothills” of the East Ridge and enjoying the life of a rough and tumble Butte kid. However, the young Keenan siblings lost their father when Jim was just 12 years old. After his father’s death, Jim took a paper route to help out with the family expenses. A neighbor, who recognized what a pleasant and hard worker he was, told young Jim of a manufacturing jeweler friend of his that was looking for an apprentice to help him with the work he did for the many jewelry stores that were doing business in Uptown Butte at the time. Jim started that job at the age of 13 and worked for Mr. Chis Goodman as his apprentice through his high school years.

At the age of 17—having earned enough credits for his diploma and concerned that World War II was going to be over before he could serve his country—Jim left Butte High School and joined the Merchant Marine because they did not require recruits to be 18 to join. In 1944, Jim was in the South Pacific on the night of his high school graduation and ended up serving 32 months in the Merchant Marine. During his time at sea, he had his share of harrowing experiences, but it was also where he developed his love of travel and taste for adventure.

Upon returning home, Jim went back to work for Mr. Goodman until 1950 when he was drafted by the Army and served as an infantryman during the Korean War. As an infantryman in Korea, Jim became a Sargent and squad leader where earned the respect of the men in his company as well as the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). On October 19^th, 1951, Jim was wounded in action in the battle at Kumsong where he was struck by bullets in the left arm and leg and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart. After returning home from Korea, Jim again went to work for Mr. Goodman for a short time before he decided to pursue his dream of owning his own jewelry shop. To fund the effort, Jim went to work as a contract miner in the underground mines of Butte to earn the money he’d need to purchase his own equipment. In 1955, Jim opened his first shop in the Medical Arts building in uptown Butte where he did jewelry repair and manufacturing work for many area jewelers.

In 1955, while they were both bowling, Jim had the good fortune of meeting the recently widowed Shirley Burt who had five young children at home—Sheldon, Mari, John, David, and Janet. Jim and Shirley began dating—Jim was relaxed and easy-going with the kids, and they began spending more and more time together. They eventually married on May 5, 1956, and together they welcomed three more children—Rita, Rhonda, and Jimmer. Jim and Shirley spent 60 years together before Shirley passed in April of 2016. Jim was an exceptional father to all eight children and made them all feel so loved. Jim took the children on countless adventures that seldom involved a plan and typically involved a road trip, shared cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes.

In 1971, Jim and Shirley took out a loan against their house to open Keenan’s Jewelry in the Butte Plaza Mall. They ran the business by themselves at first and later with the help of their children. He was a skilled diamond setter and jeweler whose work is still being worn and enjoyed by many of his customers and their families to this day. He was an excellent teacher and his children, grandchildren, and so many others learned a great trade and the importance of honesty, integrity, and a work ethic from him—lessons that still pay dividends to all of those that had the privilege to work with him and be inspired by his example. In 1975, they opened a second store in Kalispell which is still operated by family members to this day. Jim was a respected and well-loved businessman whose integrity was beyond reproach. The business was in his blood, and he continued to visit the store each day for many years after he retired—well into his 90’s—and he would call the store at the end of each day to see how the day had gone until shortly before he died. He was a member of Mount Moriah Lodge No. 24, a Bagdad Shriner, and was Bugs Bunny in the Janizary Patrol for many years. He was a member of many local service organizations, and president of the of the Montana Wyoming Jewelers Association.

Jim and Shirley bought property at Flathead Lake in 1976. They enjoyed a small cabin there for nine years before building a larger house on the property. After 25 years of wonderful memories at the lake, they made the difficult decision to sell the lake property and pursue other dreams. They purchased a motor home and Jim and Shirley enjoyed traveling, camping, and going south in the winters. Jim and Shirley were always up for fun and adventure, including a memorable trip to Ireland, England, and Scotland. They enjoyed outings with family and loved to stop for a drink and hors d’oeuvres at local establishments.

Jim was an avid outdoorsman and he had many great camping, backpacking, hunting, and fishing adventures with his family and friends. From the time he was a young man, he had a passion for running and working out. His commitment to physical fitness was a way of life and an inspiration to many of those around him. He was an avid runner into his 70’s and completed Bloomsday and the Governor’s Cup many times, and he was still going to the gym and hitting the weight room well into his 90’s.

He was a true Butte badass through and through; however, he also had immeasurable empathy and would give a stranger the shirt off of his back. He wanted nothing for himself and only wanted to see his family healthy and happy. His love of music and poetry was instilled in all of his children—he had a song for every occasion—he was a great storyteller and always had at least one mediocre joke to tell.

He was a very loving father and friend to so many. His poems, jokes, songs, stories, adventurous spirit, and kind and generous heart will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. He wasn’t the last of his kind—he was the only one of his kind—and he leaves behind a legacy that we can all be incredibly proud of. We will miss him every single day and carry our cherished memories of him in our hearts forever.

Jim is survived by his eight children: Sheldon Burt (Emily), Mari Burt, John Burt (Karen), David Burt (Terry), Janet Brown (Russell), Rita Ronning (Dave), Rhonda Lee (Chuck), Jim Keenan (Laura). He is also survived by 20 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren, great—great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews on the Shoal side as well as his sister in law Marilyn Shoal and his nephew’s companion Nita Barnes. Jim was preceded in death by his wife Shirley, his sisters Mary Thompson (Jesse), Rita Keenan, Anna Scott (Charles), nephew Jim Thompson, daughter in law Ruth Burt, brothers in law John Shoal, Donald Shoal (Evelyn), and Richard Shoal, sister in law Rita Breshears, niece Terri Reeves, great niece Megan Shoal, great grandson Henry Lawshe.

Memorials in honor of Jim are suggested to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF.org), Highlands Hospice, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

A Celebration of Jim’s Life will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at The Butte Depot, 818 South Arizona St in Butte, with Military Honors accorded by the United Veterans Council of Butte.

Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Jim.

Axelson Funeral & Cremation Services is privileged to care for Jim and his family.

Service Schedule

Celebration of His Life

12:00 p.m.

Saturday October 14, 2023

The Butte Depot

818 South Arizona Street

Butte, Montana 59701

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