July 4, 1943 – August 22, 2026
Carol Lee (Palmer) Keiter, 83, of Lenexa, KS, passed away on August 22, 2026, at Hospice House in Kansas City, with her family by her side. She was born July 4, 1943, in Platte City, Missouri, to Stanley Canada Palmer and Edith May Palmer.
Carol Lee was raised in a multigenerational farmhouse in Platte City, surrounded by family from the very beginning — an upbringing that shaped her lifelong devotion to the people she loved. After graduating high school, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in music education from Wichita State University, and the WSU Shockers gained a lifelong fan.
Following Carol Lee’s graduation from college, she moved to the Kansas City area and began her career as a public-school teacher. Braver than most, she dedicated 39 years to the chaos of middle school students in the Shawnee Mission School District, teaching band classes and leading variety shows before eventually transitioning to teaching eighth grade Social Studies. While teaching and raising her family, Carol Lee received her master’s degree in education from Webster University. A vocal advocate for public education, Carol Lee believed fiercely in the power of an educated public and the role that the arts can play in helping us understand our humanity. Yet she recognized that educating is a team effort. Through the years she collected many, many teacher friends who became beloved characters in the stories of her day.
On March 20, 1971, Carol Lee married William (Bill) James Keiter. Together they raised their family, though their firstborn, a baby girl, passed away shortly after birth. They went on to welcome two sons, Jason Reid Keiter of Gardner, Kansas, and Drew Lee Keiter of Olathe, Kansas. Drew and his wife, Christine Keiter, welcomed twin daughters Riley and Olivia Keiter, earning Carol Lee her very favorite title, “Mimi.” Carol Lee was endlessly proud of her sons and daughter-in-law and adored her granddaughters just the same. She never missed a chance to celebrate any of them — a concert, a musical, a play, an awards ceremony, a graduation, a birthday — she and Bill showed up for all of it. Her love for her children and grandchildren was unconditional. She forgave freely, gave grace without limit, and never stopped believing in them, even in moments when they struggled to believe in themselves.
If one was looking for a quiet and meek friend, they would not find that in Carol Lee. The people that knew and loved her often described her as a firecracker, which was especially fitting for a woman born on Independence Day. If she had an opinion, you were going to hear it, and she always had an opinion. But the same stubborn, passionate energy she put into a good argument was also poured into the love she showed for others. While always more than happy to accept a party invitation, she also showed up at her friends’ darkest hours with comforting words and food in hand (and possibly a cocktail). On fall Saturdays, the family could be found tailgating outside Memorial Stadium at KU, where Carol Lee had prepared to feed any number of friends that might come by. She and Bill, along with several friends, co-founded the Pirates of the Prairie Jimmy Buffett Parrothead fan club and organized concert preparties. Every Christmas Eve she and Bill opened their doors to everyone they loved. Everyone. Family, neighbors, friends, their children’s friends, and even friends of friends built their traditions around the Keiter Christmas punch and meatballs in homemade bourbon barbecue sauce. And if ever you spent any time with Carol Lee, chances are very good you were gifted a hand crocheted potholder or dish cloth or blanket, an embroidered tea towel, a jar of homemade preserves, homegrown pickles, or her own recipe of sweet hot mustard. A true domestic artisan, she had a whole room in her house affectionately dubbed “the yarn room.” She sent handwritten letters and had a knack for finding the perfect greeting card. She orchestrated a million little pleasures and small moments of joy, which added together created an enormous presence in the lives of those who loved her.
Carol Lee was preceded in death by parents, Stanley and Edith May Palmer; sister, Peggy Miller; brother, Gene Palmer; and infant daughter. She is survived by best friend and husband, Bill; sons, Jason and Drew; daughter-in-law, Christine; granddaughters, Riley and Olivia; sister, Becky Cutler; and multiple nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Carol Lee’s memory to Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (kchospice.org/donate), in gratitude for the compassionate care she received in her final days, and to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (donate.imaginationlibrary.com), in honor of her lifelong love of reading and her fellow Wise Women book club members.
A Celebration of Life will be held on September 26th, 2026, from 1:30–4:30 p.m., at Maloney’s, 7201 W. 79th St., Overland Park, KS 66204. In true Carol Lee fashion, all are welcome — friends, family, and anyone who ever felt at home at her table.
Obituary published by Charter Funerals.
