Deb Keaveny
Deborah Keaveny has proudly owned and operated Keaveny Drug for the past 20 years after purchasing the store from Ken Kremer. As the pharmacist and owner, Deborah is involved in nearly every aspect of the business — from patient care to managing operations — all with the goal of serving the community and making a positive difference in people’s lives.
What Deborah enjoys most about her work is helping people. She and her team dedicate countless hours behind the scenes working through complex insurance issues, medication questions, and unusual situations to ensure patients receive the care they need — often without patients ever realizing how much effort went into solving the problem.
Originally from Luverne, Minnesota, Deborah values the strong sense of community in Winsted and believes she receives just as much from the community as she gives. She has been active locally as a previous board member of the Winsted Area Community Foundation and is a frequent donor to the McLeod County Food Shelf.
Deborah lives with her spouse, Kelly, and their two children, Delaney and Killian. Outside of the pharmacy, she enjoys hockey and cooking. One of her favorite local spots in town is Glenn’s.
In addition to running Keaveny Drug, Deborah is deeply involved in advocating for independent pharmacies. She is a founder of MNIndy’s (Minnesota Independent Pharmacists) and serves as President of PUTT (Pharmacists for Truth and Transparency), where she works to promote fair pharmacy practices and protect access to local pharmacies at both the state and federal levels.
Deborah also helps patients beyond the pharmacy counter as a licensed insurance agent for health, vision, and dental plans, with life insurance coming soon. Whether helping with prescriptions or recommending the right over-the-counter product, Deborah takes time to listen to patients’ needs and guide them toward the best solution.
Pharmacist & Owner
PAM JOHNSON
Store Manager
Pam Johnson has been the Store Manager at Keaveny Drug for the past nine years. In her role, she wears many hats — serving as the store’s buyer, merchandiser, manager of the cashiers, and helping oversee everything happening on the front end of the store. Much of what Pam does happens behind the scenes, helping keep the store running smoothly and making sure customers always find something special when they visit.
Pam holds a degree in Retail Management from UW–Stout and brings her passion for retail into every part of the store. One of her favorite parts of the job is the relationships she’s built with customers and coworkers over the years, as well as attending buying trips to Atlanta to find unique gifts and products for the store.
Originally from Sheldon, Wisconsin, Pam enjoys spending time with her family — her husband Tony, daughters Jamie and Nicole, son-in-law Jake, and their three cats.
Pam has also been active in the community, serving on the library board, volunteering with Winstock, and helping as a Holy Trinity parent volunteer.
One of Pam’s favorite areas of the store? Gifts — she loves helping bring in items that make it easy to find the perfect present for someone special.
AMY JOHNSON
Amy Johnson has been a Pharmacy Technician at Keaveny Drug for seven years. In her role, she helps keep the pharmacy running smoothly by filling prescriptions, assisting patients, supporting the pharmacists, answering phones, and working with insurance companies to help resolve issues.
A big part of Amy’s job happens behind the scenes. She and the team work hard every day to make sure patients receive the best possible outcome and care. Amy says one of the things she loves most about working at Keaveny Drug is the team atmosphere — “we feel like one big family.”
Originally from Winsted, Amy takes pride in serving the community she grew up in. She also stays involved locally and currently serves on the Winsted Chamber Board.
Outside of work, Amy enjoys reading and spending time near the water whenever she can.
When visiting Keaveny Drug, Amy recommends taking a little time to browse the fun gift shop!
Pharmacy Technician
Barb Peterson
Pharmacist
Barb Peterson has been a pharmacist at Keaveny Drug for seven years. She was drawn to the pharmacy because of her desire to work in an independent pharmacy where she could build relationships with patients and provide personalized care.
In her role, Barb works closely with customers and enjoys interacting with people and helping them understand their medications. She believes one important thing customers should know is how hard the entire pharmacy team works behind the scenes to make sure every patient receives the best possible care.
Barb especially enjoys serving the Winsted community because it allows her to get to know people personally and better understand how to help them with their health needs.
Originally from Brainerd, Barb has four children and six grandchildren, with more on the way. Outside of work, she enjoys walking, running, swimming, and spending time at the lake with family and friends.
Barb is a coffee drinker, a morning person, and says one of her favorite things about Minnesota is experiencing all the changing seasons. A fun fact about Barb is that she is a vegetarian.
Lisa Cuhel
Lisa Cuhel is the Lead Technician at Keaveny Drug and has been part of the pharmacy team for many years. She previously worked for Kremer Pharmacy and continued on when Keaveny Drug purchased the store. In total, she spent seven years with Kremer Pharmacy and has now worked more than 21 years with Keaveny Drug.
In her role, Lisa supports the pharmacists by filling prescriptions, answering phone calls, and helping customers with their questions. She enjoys helping people and making sure customers get the assistance they need when they visit the pharmacy.
Lisa appreciates serving the Winsted community because of how much people care for and support one another. She was also a member of the Winsted Lions until it folded.
Originally from Wood Lake, Minnesota, Lisa is married and has three children, along with a dog and two cats at home. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, writing, and reading.
Lisa is more of a Diet Coke person than coffee or tea, considers herself a night owl, and enjoys all of Minnesota’s seasons for different reasons. Rather than recommending just one product, she prefers helping customers find the over-the-counter option that works best for their individual needs.
Lead Technician
Erika Robey
Cashier
Erika Robey joined the team at Keaveny Drug about three months ago after already being a longtime customer of the store. She was especially drawn to the gift shop and friendly atmosphere, which made working there a natural fit.
As a cashier, Erika helps with a variety of tasks, including running the register, stocking shelves, and creating displays throughout the store. One of the things she enjoys most about her job is the friendly people she gets to work with and interact with every day.
Originally from Lester Prairie, Erika loves the small-town feel of the Winsted community and appreciates being part of a place where neighbors know one another. She has also volunteered with Winstock and enjoys staying connected with local events.
Outside of work, Erika enjoys crafts and camping. She and her husband have a daughter and share their home with two cats. Erika is also a big animal lover and says she loves animals of all kinds.
Erika grew up in Minneapolis but moved west to the Waconia and Mayer areas more than 35 years ago before eventually settling in the Lester Prairie area. She loves small-town living and says she would never go back.
When visiting Keaveny Drug, Erika highly recommends checking out the candy — one of her favorite treats in the store!
Connie Thieman
Connie Thiemann has been part of the Keaveny Drug team for four and a half years. As a cashier and visual merchandiser, she helps keep the store welcoming and organized while assisting customers with their purchases and questions. Connie also plays a role in keeping the shop tidy and enjoys helping decorate the store, especially when seasonal items arrive.
Before joining the team, Connie had been a longtime customer of Keaveny Drug, visiting for prescriptions and the store’s unique gift selection. She enjoys working locally in Winsted and greeting familiar faces from the community each day.
Connie grew up in Silver Lake and has lived in Winsted for 37 years. She and her spouse, Vern, have been married for 46 years and have two sons and seven grandchildren. Outside of work, Connie enjoys shopping, spending time with family, gardening, and decorating. She also enjoys hosting family dinners and baking treats to share with coworkers.
One of Connie’s favorite things to recommend in the store is the gift shop — especially the caramel treats, which she says are awesome.
Connie takes pride in helping customers, assembling items, and ensuring everyone is greeted with a smile and kindness.
Cashier, Visual Merchandiser
Debra Thompson
Debra Thompson has been part of the team at Keaveny Drug for the past two years. She joined the store while looking for a part-time role in retirement and quickly became a valued member of the pharmacy team.
As a pharmacy clerk, Debra helps ring up customers’ orders, keep products organized, and assist customers with finding what they need. She also helps maintain the pharmacy area by checking products and making sure everything runs smoothly. One of her favorite parts of the job is visiting with customers and getting to know the people in the community.
Debra brings a strong background in healthcare to her role. She previously worked as an EMT for 25 years and spent 24 years at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia as a hospital operator and ambulance dispatcher. Her experience in patient care continues to guide the way she helps customers today.
Originally from Lester Prairie, Debra enjoys getting to know even more people in the Winsted community. She also helps organize a toy collection box each October for Holy Trinity School, which provides gifts to children who may not otherwise receive presents.
Debra and her husband Alan have two children, Katie and Scott. Outside of work, she enjoys working as guest services staff at the Minnesota Twins stadium and taking walks around Winsted Lake.
When visiting the store, Debra recommends checking out Keaveny Drug’s caramel and candy selection — a customer favorite.
Pharmacy Clerk
Elise Olson
Elise Olson has worked at Keaveny Drug for more than 10 years on and off, first starting while she was in high school. What began as her first job as a clerk eventually grew into a career in the pharmacy, where she worked her way up to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician.
In her role, Elise assists the pharmacist with the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy, including filling prescriptions, answering phones, and helping customers with their needs. She enjoys being part of the medical field in a way that allows her to connect with patients and support their care. For Elise, patient care is always a top priority.
Originally from Howard Lake, Elise appreciates serving the Winsted community and enjoys seeing many familiar faces come through the pharmacy.
Outside of work, Elise enjoys reading, antiquing and thrifting, and frequently visiting the Minnesota Zoo. She lives with her husband and daughter, along with their two cats and a dog.
A fun fact about Elise is that during her time with Keaveny Drug, she has worked at both store locations. She also loves Minnesota winters and the cold, snowy weather that comes with them.
While you're picking up your prescription, Elise encourages customers to take a moment to browse the gift section — you might just find the perfect gift for someone special or even a treat for yourself.
Pharmacist Technician
Kylie Johnson
Kylie Johnson recently joined the team at Keaveny Drug and has been working as a cashier for the past month. In her role, she helps customers at the register, assists with prescriptions when needed, and keeps things organized behind the counter. She enjoys getting to know her coworkers and learning more about the pharmacy each day.
Kylie was introduced to Keaveny Drug through family connections and has enjoyed becoming part of the close-knit team. One thing she wishes customers knew about her role is that there’s often a lot happening behind the scenes, and the job can be more complex than it may appear.
A Winsted native, Kylie appreciates how connected the community is and enjoys seeing familiar faces come through the store. Outside of work, she spends time playing volleyball and pickleball.
Kylie is a chai drinker, considers herself a night owl, and especially enjoys Minnesota springs. One of her favorite local spots is Coffee Cove, and a fun fact about Kylie is that she has lived in Minnesota her entire life.
Cashier