James P. "Groovy" McKeighan

Shushan-James P. “Groovy” McKeighan, 66 of Shushan, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, October 19, 2019 at his residence.

Born September 18, 1953 in Granville, he was the son of late John Sterling and Meta (Haskins) McKeighan.  Jim attended school in Rupert and graduated from Salem Washington Academy in 1972 and attended Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.  While in High School, he played football and his team was undefeated in 1970 and Jim was the first wrestler from Salem to go to the State Championship.

Jim was a maintenance Tech at Cargill in Salem retiring in 2015 after 40 years of service.

Jim was dedicated to his family and grandchildren which he enjoyed spending time with.  He loved tinkering around his house and enjoyed his motorcycle.  He liked to go camping, gambling at the casino’s and watching television shows.

Jim is survived by his wife of 45 years, Elaine Doane McKeighan; his children, James Christopher McKeighan (Robyn Scutt) of Shushan, Jeremy Scott McKeighan (Jennifer) of Salem and Jennifer Lee McKeighan of Shushan; his cherished grandchildren, Miles Sterling McKeighan, Piper James McKeighan and Cheyenne Skye McKeighan.  He is also survived by his brother and sisters, John McKeighan of Rupert, Karen Fuller (Jim) of Scotia and Judy Williams (Bob Wilbur) of New Milford, CT; sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Melford Hannibal of Shushan, and nieces, nephews and cousins.

Calling hours will be from 1-3 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the McClellan-Gariepy Funeral Home, 19 East Broadway, Salem.  A funeral service will begin at the conclusion of the calling hours at 3:00 pm.

Memorial gifts in Jim’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105.

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