Following a brief, and unexpected, illness, Edmund W. Keeley Jr., 86, passed into eternal rest on Jan. 31 at home surrounded by his family.
Edmund W. Keeley Jr., 86, passed away on Jan. 31. A memorial service will be followed by burial in Spring Grove Cemetery on Feb. 16.
Ed was born on Dec. 9, 1937, in New Haven to parents Edmund W. and Mary McGarry Keeley.
Edmund grew up in North Haven, attending Hopkins Grammar School, where he enjoyed writing and sports and formed lasting relationships with his classmates. He received a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and received his M.B.A. in finance from Columbia University.
Edmund was commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps from October 1961 to September 1963 at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Holabird, Maryland.
In New York city, he met his future wife, Jacqueline, at a gathering of mutual friends. They married on Sept. 18, 1965 and began a 58-year journey together.
After several years of newlywed bliss in New York City and two children later, they decided to settle in Darien for their first home in October 1968, and expand their growing family. They remained in Darien for nearly 40 years.
Edmund continued to commute to New York for work at firms such as F. Eberstadt, Smith Barney, Nicholas Applegate, and Morgan Stanley. He thrived on the excitement of the city, the hustle of the investment market, and many connections with close business colleagues turned into friends over the many years he was in the business.
His love of travel and skiing, combined with the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, prompted him to add a second home in Snowmass Village, Colorado in 1988. Many Christmas holidays and Spring Breaks were enjoyed on the slopes, and of late, the summers at the Ideas Festival, the Security Forum, and the Food & Wine Festival in Aspen were a highlight.
Ed and Jackie relocated to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in 2006. He made fast connections by getting involved in the local World Affairs Council of Hilton Head. As part of the Program Committee, he took great pride in researching and connecting with speakers from around the world to offer insight to this group. He also found his bridge community, who welcomed him in and provided much fun and stimulation, including many bridge tournaments that took him on the road.
Edmund was predeceased by his wife, Jacqueline B. Keeley, this past September.
Survivors include his three children, Karen Keeley (Scott Wright) of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Brian Keeley (Christine) of Winterport, Maine and Kimberly Keeley (Joseph Rabita) of Norwalk; his two granddaughters, Rosalind Sylvester (Noah) of Sequim, Washington and LillyAnne Keeley of Winterport; and two great-grandsons, Boaz Sylvester and Lazarus Sylvester of Sequim, Washington. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Neva Murphy of Peabody, Massachusetts and Kathleen Baine of Bluffton, South Carolina; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Special affection is deserved for Joyce Savior who took loving care of both Jackie and Edmund over the last decade.
A Funeral Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church, Hilton Head Island. Additional services will be held at Lawrence Funeral Home in Darien, followed by interment Friday, Feb. 16 at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice Care of the Low Country, PO Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910.
— This obituary is from Lawrence Funeral Home, where online condolences may be left. No time for the Darien service was given; contact Lawrence Funeral Home for that.