A public celebration of life has been set for local business owner Keith Mowry, owner of Bob’s Country Meats, who passed away suddenly on Friday during transplant surgery.

62-year-old Mowry had been hospitalized since late September with a severely infected gallbladder,  and on Friday, Oct. 22, was wheeled into the surgery room to receive a new kidney and part of a liver, where he died on the operating table.

“He passed peacefully, with no pain, in his sleep. He knew the community loved him and prayed for him throughout the past few weeks,” wrote his family in a final GoFundMe update on Saturday.

Mowry was a beloved member of the Santa Clarita community and is known for cultivating a warm and welcoming environment inside his butcher shop, Bob’s Country Meats, that he purchased decades ago.

See Related: Owner Of Bob’s Country Meats Butcher Shop Unexpectedly Dies During Transplant Surgery

Despite deciding to keep the name the same, Keith made the store his own as “we were all greeted with a familiar welcoming smile or a joke from Keith,” said his son, Francis Mowry in a previous KHTS article.

Located on Soledad Canyon Road, Bob’s Country Meats has been serving the Santa Clarita community for over 35 years and Keith Mowry had always considered his loyal customers as friends, according to the family.

The business has temporarily closed its doors due to the circumstances.

The public celebration of life is set to take place on Sunday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Centre, located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway.

An open microphone is expected to be available for anyone who wishes to share a memory.

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