Estel Owens

Keirsey

Estel Owens Keirsey, 98, of Adrian, MO, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 9, 2026, surrounded by love and family at Baptist Homes of Adrian. There will be a visitation on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with the funeral service at 11:00 AM at Atkinson Funeral Home in Adrian, MO. Interment at Oak Hill Cemetery in Butler, MO, will follow the service. 

Estel was born to Fred and Grace Keirsey on June 1, 1928, in Ballard, MO. He spent most of his life in the Ballard and Adrian areas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1953, serving during the Korean War. After finishing his tour, Estel completed a business degree at the University of Missouri, where he met his lifelong love, Donna Jo York. The two married on November 27, 1957, and shared 68 wonderful years. During their happy union, a son, Fred Bruce, and a daughter, Jamie Denise, were born.

In his leisure time, Estel especially enjoyed hunting and spending time in the wilderness alongside his family and friends. This passion fueled a yearly pilgrimage to Wyoming with Donna and other loved ones, where he tagged many deer and antelope. He enjoyed his last hunt at 97 years old last November.

Estel and Donna traveled extensively throughout the fifty states and visited six foreign countries in their time together. For many years they spent the winter months in Texas. They were proud to share their curious and explorative nature with their granddaughters, whom they brought along on near and distant adventures most summers of their upbringing. His compass persistently pointed West, but his appreciation for all manner of landscape and wildlife was boundless.

At home on Keirsey Farms, Estel and Donna successfully bred, raised, and showed registered Arabian horses. One of their biggest successes was Crimson Ginger, Jamie's prized National Champion Mare. Others included an Arabian mare, Odra, who was named Top Five Western Pleasure, and Shah El Shams, a Champion Stallion who won third overall in National Futurity at the National show in Louisville. In addition to being a beloved pastime, Keirsey Farms found some outstanding success in their small breeding operation.

Estel is preceded in death by his son, Fred Bruce, and his parents, Fred and Grace. He is survived by his beloved wife, Donna Jo; daughter Jamie and her husband, Martin Lockard; granddaughters Haley and Paige; and dear friends Kenny Hooper and family...

He is loved beyond measure. May he rest in peace.