Juanita Mae (Keel) Gabaldon
1925 – 2024
A service will be held at 10:00am on Friday, February 23rd, 2024, in the Evergreen Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, located off Highway 99 at Harney Lane, Lodi, California.
Juanita Mae Gabaldon entered this world on October 17, 1925, in Marietta, Oklahoma. She was the oldest of four children born to Bejamin Franklin and Willie Clara (Overstreet) Keel.
Juanita, an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, was very proud of her Native American heritage. She was a direct descendant of Simon Keel and Edmund Pickens. Chief Pickens walked the Trail of Tears in Mississippi to Oklahoma. He used his considerable wealth to feed and care for tribal members as they navigated the Trail of Tears.
Juanita’s formal education began in Marietta, Oklahoma and continued through her graduation from high school in California. The family sold their farm and moved to the San Joaquin Valley when she was a teenager. She lived in California until her passing but enjoyed trips back to Oklahoma to visit family and friends.
Juanita passed away peacefully on February 7, 2024, in Stockton, California. She is survived by daughters, Debra and Wanda Sue, sons Samuel (Bonnie), and Kenneth (Cindy), and eleven grandchildren. She was welcomed into heaven by daughter, Dorothy, and son, Gerald. Juanita was also predeceased by her parents, Benjamin Franklin and Willie Clara (Overstreet) Keel, and siblings Bernita Holliger, Rena Humbert, and Ben Keel.
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Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Gabaldon family.