Somjai "Sam" Keegan

Somjai “Sam” Keegan, age 77, of Topeka, KS, passed away on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Stormont Vail Hospital.

Sam was born in Maha Sarakham, Thailand on November 17, 1946. She met and fell in love with Glen Keegan while he was stationed in Thailand with the US Army. They married April 17th, 1970, in Thailand and had their first child. Sam left her home country and started a new life with her husband Glen while settling in Topeka, KS.

She assimilated to her new role as a wife and mother while adjusting the American culture and excelling at it. Sam was proud of her heritage. She enjoyed playing card games (Mahjong), passed time watching Thai movies, and cooking traditional Thai meals.  She was well-known for her papaya salad and mung bean noodles. In her later years, she loved going to the casino and always had luck on her side. She loved walking and was always on the go. Sam had a love for flowers and plants and was known for her green thumb. Even with language barriers and health barriers, if she wanted to get somewhere, she would find a way to get there. She worked hard on a professional level and worked various positions in the banking industry in Topeka. She attended 1 and a half years of college in Bangkok and completed several American Institute of Banking classes at Washburn University. She participated with the PTA and enjoyed activities with her grandchildren. Sam loved being a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and Glen shared 54 years of marriage together.

Survivors include her beloved husband, Glen Keegan; daughter, Annette Keegan of Wilson, NC, daughter Sandra Schluter and her husband Dan of Overland Park, KS; and a son, Thomas Keegan of Shawnee, KS. Other survivors include four grandchildren, Samantha Bodendistel and her husband Sean, Benjamin, Marilynn, and James Schluter; and two sister-in-laws, Paulette Haug and Sheryl Keegan.

Cremation has taken place.

A memorial visitation will be held on Monday, May 20, 2024, from 9:30 - 10:30 A.M., followed by a rosary at 10:30 A.M., and a Memorial Service at 11:00 A.M., all being held at Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery-Topeka.

To share a memory or to leave condolences, please visit, www.brennanmathenafh.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 SW 6th Ave., Topeka, KS 66603.