A remembrance ceremony was held Friday to honor the lives for former long-time Bemidji High School assistant football coach Jim McKeon and his daughter Gianna.

Jim McKeon died unexpectedly on February 12th from sudden cardiac arrest. Gianna died at the age of 10 in January 2022 after an 11-month battle with a rare form of bone cancer.

Over 300 friends, family, and community members attended the ceremony at the Bemidji High school auditorium. Together they cried and together they laughed as they shared stories of their time spent with Jim and Gianna. Words like “funny,” “loving,” “strong,” and “brave” were among the most spoken as everyone remembered the larger-than-life father and daughter.

Jim and Gianna are survived by son and brother Rocco, daughter and sister Ruby, and wife and mother Hayley.

By — Lakeland News