Dr. H.W. "Bill" Keisker Jr

Dr. H.W. “Bill” Keisker Jr, 94, of Jonesboro, Arkansas, departed this life on Friday, April 22, 2022, at the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House surrounded by his family. He was born September 9, 1927, in Memphis, Tennessee, to the late Henry William Keisker Sr and Rebecca Duke Keisker.

Bill was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jonesboro and part of the men’s club at the church for more than 60 years.

When Keisker neared the age 18 and the draft, he traveled to New Orleans and passed his test for a first-class commercial radio license to operate an amateur radio, although he couldn’t operate with World War II ongoing. Bill instead entered the Merchant Marines cadet program to train as a deck officer, but the war ended after his first year of training. Bill then went back to Memphis for pre-med school. He graduated from medical school in 1951 and began a surgery residency  at Kennedy Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis. Everything was put on hold when he was drafted to the Korean War and served two years in Fairbanks, Alaska. While stationed in Alaska, he completed a successful surgery on a girl who swallowed an open gold safety pin in 1955.

Keisker moved to Jonesboro in 1960 and later retired after 33 years as a general surgeon at St. Bernards. Bill then taught anatomy in Arkansas State University’s new physical therapy program for a year. He also served on the Arkansas State Board of Health for several years.

Bill absolutely loved electronics, so much so when he was 23, he invented an instrument that measured the pressure inside the stomach. The instrument was one of the first of its kinds using radio waves and was used at the University of Tennessee’s Division of Physiology.

Even with all the great things Bill was able to do, his greatest passion was in music. When Bill was 7, he was given his first violin. He was made to practice every day and was later thankful for it. He started taking lessons from Noel Gilbert, the concert master for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Bill later performed in the orchestra’s first violin section for about five years. He joined the The Student String Quartet at Rhodes College, then known as Southwestern. In Jonesboro Bill became more involved with music helping organize and playing the upright double bass in the Rotary Band, and also in a band called Dixieland Group which later transitioned into the “The Over-the- Hill Gang”. He would play his violin for Christmas Eve services at St. Mark’s. Keisker then helped start Alley Records in the early 1960s. It led to the creation of the Keisker Transistor Mixer. One of his mixers is now part of the ASU Museum. Keisker retired from violin, and musical instruments due to his health. He retired after 30 years from the orchestra.  Bill and his wife Ruth would travel to their second home at Norfolk Lake  once he retired.

In addition to his parents Dr. H.W. Keisker Jr is preceded in death by one great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Matthews.

He is survived by his lovely wife of 60 years, Ruth Edwards Keisker of the home; one son, John Keisker of Little Rock; one daughter, Rebecca Keisker of Jonesboro; three grandchildren, Stephanie Matthews, Timothy Penley, Jacob Penley; six great- grandchildren; many other relatives; and a lifetime of friends.

Family will be holding a memorial service at St. Marks Episcopal Church Thursday, April 28 at 10am.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked to please consider donations to Arkansas State University Music Department at https://www.astate.edu/a/advancement/give-now/#Music%20Department .