Steven R. Kehrer

Steve R. Kehrer, 68, born August 27th, 1956, passed away peacefully in his home on May 8th, 2025, in New Memphis, IL. He died from Autonomic Nervous System complications, that took 10+ weeks of hospitalization in and out of 5 different facilities to finally dig deep enough to discover. He became at peace with the findings and only asked that he could spend his remaining days at home surrounded by family, friends, & the joy and laughter they brought to him.

Steve left behind his beloved Wife Jane(Browy) Kehrer, son Jason(Carey) Kehrer, son Jeremy(wife) Kehrer, grandchildren Kaylee, Jillian, Lucas, Parker, Miles, brother Robert(Susan) Kehrer, sister-in-laws Judi(Paul) Herzing, Sandy Longshore, JoAnn(Doug) Denaro, Kathy Browy, Patti(special friend Glen) Fochtmann, Lisa(special friend Bill Saxe) Browy, brother-in-law Terry Fochtmann, nieces and nephews Travis(Amanda) Kehrer, Marlaina(Josh) Campbell, Alicia(Greg) Heggemeier, Kevin(Sarah) Junk, niece Bernadette Haertling, Becky Kiehna, Beth(Aaron) Fiene, Bridgette Longshore, Sarah(special friend Sean) Denaro, Kyle Fochtmann, Collin/CJ(Erica) Fochtmann, Aunts Joan(Kehrer) Krausz & Joyce(Ford) Santel and numerous friends and relatives.

Preceding Steve in death were his beloved parents, Ralph "Skip" and Jean(Ford)Kehrer, along with his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Joseph and Anita (Harpstrite) Browy. He was also reunited in spirit with brother-in-law’s David Longshore & Roger Junk, as well nephew William (Bill) Longshore. The list of others he loved and lost in his 68+ years was so long that we had to draw a line somewhere, so know in his/our hearts we could have typed a list for hours of them all.

Steve was a proud God-loving man that was most at peace with his family and friends. He always wanted to feed people or give them something when he saw them. It’s immeasurable on how many people that he did this too with so many different things and ways. He had a heart of gold, and no word made him prouder than the word Pawpaw.

Steve lived in New Memphis all but one year of his life. One year was spent in Belleville after he got married and had his first child. They soon found out they needed to be where they all belong, back in New Memphis closer to their family. He graduated from Wesclin High School with the class of 1974. He went on after high school to join the Carpenter’s Union local #433 out of Belleville, IL. In which he was still a card-carrying member until he passed. In 2003 Steve started his final career with Strano & Associates Real Estate. He started in March and sold enough volume to get rookie of the year for his local Realtors board. They stated that the award could only go to agents that were active members for all 12 months. So, he went ahead and did just that the next year and officially won the Rookie of the year award. He then later in 2015 brought on his son Jay and co-founded The Kehrer Team @Strano & Associates Real Estate. Where his slogan of “Selling Southern Illinois Piece by Piece” will carry on.

Those that knew Steve knew him for his kind words, actions of compassion, knowledge of antiques, & his ability to make a joke out of any topic that could ever be brought up. Most of the jokes were in story type fashion with you hanging on his every word until the end punchline that took you by surprise. Sometimes when the mood hit him right, he could entertain and audience for hours telling those jokes.

Steve was also an admirer of the outdoors. He fueled his passion through hunting and tending to animals. He thoroughly enjoyed hunting adventures with family and friends. Plus, his countless ways of raising and/or tending to animals. In most recent years he loved sharing his special moments in time with these animals with family and friends with his pictures. Some of which he transferred to canvas.

Without a doubt when Steve wasn’t talking about family, friends, or work, he loved to share his knowledge of his passion for antiques, especially his bottles. Steve was in fact the number one go-to-person for the Southern Illinois 1800’s-early 1900’s Soda bottles. He obtained all this knowledge through his almost 60 years of collecting them. If you stood still long enough or said the right keyword about a town, he had an old bottle for you to know about and see it, if you wanted to or not in most cases. His knowledge and collection helped people write a few books and his stuff was often referenced in words or with pictures in these books. He had similar influences with Dazey Churns, Anique Kitchenware & Fruit Jars. Steve and his father Skip were looked at by those groups not only local but in every state and even internationally.

Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at Nordike Funeral Home in New Baden with Pastor Art Eichhorn officiating. Burial will follow at the Lookingglass Township Cemetery in New Memphis.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and again on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 from 8 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. at Nordike Funeral Home in New Baden.

Steve’s family has asked if anyone would like to help in any way, it would be wholeheartedly accepted with a donation to the Hospice of Southern Illinois, Inc. The care and compassion they provided for him and his loved ones for 12 days is without a doubt something in the line of heaven sent.