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York Haven Fire Lt. Mark Sanders, left, Capt. Bobby Kohler and Chief Tommy Snelbaker search the Conewago Creek early Friday morning for a man who disappeared in the creek after being pursued by police late Thursday night. Snelbaker later spotted the body in the same general area, on the New´berry Township and Manchester Township line. 'We were about ready to give up, and all the sudden I spotted him,' he said.<br />&middot; <a href="http://w2.ydr.com/forms/sendPhoto.php?photo=26364">E-mail photo</a><br />&middot; <a href="http://ydr.mycapture.com/mycapture/lookup.asp?originalname=051107-km-water-rescue-1.jpg">Order photo reprint</a><br />

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But despite the setbacks, he held his head high, kept his smile, worked a decent job as a talented roofer and loved his family dearly, they said.

"He wasn't one to live by the law. But when it came to his family, he would go above and beyond the call if they needed help. He was always there for us," said Dawn Messersmith, Keefer's 30-year-old niece.

Keefer drowned late Thursday night in the Conewago Creek in East Manchester Township. The 41-year-old Manchester man crashed his van and ran into the creek trying to elude police, who suspected him of drunken driving, said Northeastern Regional Police.

Keefer's body was recovered about 1:40 a.m. Friday on the creek bed, near Park Street and Conewago Creek Road.

"We were shocked. He didn't know how to swim," Messersmith said.

Messersmith said Keefer's mother - her grandmother - Shirley Keefer, was devastated at losing her only son. The two were very close, often spending time together, and Keefer loved her cooking, she said.

"She took the news real hard, especially with Mother's Day on Sunday," said Messersmith, who spoke on behalf of the family.

Word spread quickly through Keefer's large and close-knit family who gathered at Shirley Keefer's Manchester home Friday. Many reminisced about Keefer. Walking outside on a beautiful day, they would point

Motorists driving on nearby Route 181 or Interstate 83 would frequently stop by and ask Shirley and Keefer's stepfather, Bruce, about the design, wanting to hire the man who did the work.

"He was very talented," Messersmith said.

Keefer had his brushes with the law since 1991. He had pleaded guilty twice to DUI and four times to driving under suspension charges, according to court records. He was also charged with criminal mischief, simple assault and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, court records show.

"He just did dumb things," Messersmith said.

Keefer was the second-youngest child of three sisters. His 17-year-old son, Robert III, will graduate from Central York High School in June, Messersmith said. Keefer often bragged his son was an honor student and star athlete, she said. He worshipped his 19-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, she said.

Keefer was proud of his children and tried to stay involved in their lives, despite a divorce and the mother of his children remarrying, Messersmith said.

"He liked that his son had his name and bragged about how his daughter is a beautiful girl," Messersmith said.

Messersmith said she always felt her uncle was very proud of her, too. He was often heard encouraging her at school events and functions. She remembers her uncle stood out in the crowd when she graduated from Northeastern High School in 1994.

"He was the loudest of the thousands of people at my graduation," she said.

Keefer liked to fish, shoot horseshoes, play pool and darts, and do his own thing, said family members. He started roofing when he was 15, a career he continued since graduating from Central York High School in 1983.

Messersmith said the family is struggling with the loss but will survive by clinging to the good memories and each other. She said her uncle would want it that way.

"I'll miss him," she said.