Keith Dwayne Northen

Keith Dwayne Northen, affectionately known as Paw Paw, passed away at his home in Hemphill, TX on August 27, 2023, at the age of 61, after a long and courageous battle with Leukemia. He was surrounded by his loving family, whose lives he filled with wisdom, laughter and most of all love.

Born on September 16, 1961, in Port Arthur Texas. He graduated from Bridge City High School in 1980 and embarked on a career at Burton Shipyard in Bridge City. After sustaining an injury at work in 1994 that left him disabled, Keith shifted his focus to raising his children and grandchildren, instilling in them the love he had for Jesus, cooking, music, and fishing.

Keith was proud of all his family and loved them with a full heart. He spent countless hours teaching each and every one of his kids, grandkids and even their friends how to swim, drive a boat, bait a hook and most importantly catch a bass! When he wasn’t at the lake you could find him watching football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and even a dance at half time.. if his babies were participating he was there to cheer them on relentlessly! Keith was also devoted to the community and donated his time to cook at East Sabine Senior Center. For eight years he prepared hot meals for the elderly and anyone else that showed up just looking for a homemade meal. Keith also enjoyed countless sunrises with his loving wife Karen on the back porch drinking their morning cup of coffee. The way he loved his wife Karen set the precedent on how a person should be loved…..he wanted that to be passed along to his children and grandchildren .. he wanted them find that kind of love one day, insisting that they never settled for anything less. Keith and Karen were married for 37 years and cherished each day. They enjoyed camping, four wheeler riding and even dirt bike riding. Later on in life they discovered a love for creating beautiful stained glass pieces of art. Their home has beautiful pieces they created together hanging in every window of their home. Keith was a wonderful husband and father. To his family he was their “superman”.

Keith was preceded in death by his mother, Reba Foote; father Billy Northen; step-father Roger Ramey; and his brother Kurt Northen. He is survived by his loving wife Karen Northen; daughter Jade Marks; son Jarrod Marks; son ( grand) Braylon Northen; son ( grand) Chance Northen; grandson Tyler Freeman; granddaughter Emma Buchholz; granddaughter Alexis Horton; great-grandson Myles Freeman; brother Kim Northen and sister Patty Wilkerson. Keith is also survived by who he would say was his best friend, Buddy Northen, and although Buddy is a Golden Doodle, Keith loved Buddy almost as much as the kids… Buddy is a big part of our family and he will miss Keith just as much as the rest of us do!