Joan Audrey Keener

Joan Audrey Keener, 63, was surrounded by loved ones when she passed away unexpectedly and peacefully in the early morning hours of October 8, 2018. Her parents Marlys Norton Larson and Vincent Larson lived in Minneapolis when she was born. The family moved to Fort Smith in her elementary years, with little sister Mary and big brother Todd. She married the love of her life James Michael Keener in 1974, and they raised their children Brandon & Audrey in Fort Smith, where she worked as a dental assistant. She loved reading -especially biographies- and movies, and she followed current events avidly. She frequently traveled to visit her California grandchildren. With her Arkansas grands, she took wonderful trips including Puerto Rico and fulfilled a lifelong wish this summer to see her grandmother's homeland of Norway. She is survived by husband James Michael Keener,Son Brandon Keener (Elizabeth), daughter, Audrey Byrd (Patrick), sister, Mary Cockrum, brother, Todd Larson (Pat), sister-in-law, Vickie Cowan, grandchildren, Mary Elizabeth, Andrew, Evelyn, Kyle and Vincent, nieces, Kary (Steven), Ashlee (Travis), Lindsay (Spencer), nephews, Dean and Sam, and many more family and friends. She welcomed everyone without question, listened with an open heart, and believed the more the merrier. She is preceded in death by her parents, beloved in-laws, and her nephew, Ryan Keener. Donations can be made in her honor to Children's Hospital of Arkansas or St. Jude's. Memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 12 at Hunt Chapel at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens in Rogers, followed by a lunch celebration of life at 900 NE McClain Road, Bentonville. Family and friends are invited to join us for either or both. Arrangements by Benton County Funeral Home, 306 N.4th, Rogers, Arkansas. Online condolences to www.bentoncountyfuneralhome.com.