Gwyndolyn Ward Keil

KEIL, Gwyndolyn Ward, went to be with the Lord Saturday, September 5, 2009. Gwyn was the daughter of the late Linton Bartlett and Ruth Briggs Ward. She was educated at Radford College and Virginia Tech, where she met Charles Frederick Keil, who became her husband in 1950. They shared more than 50 years of marriage until he passed away in 2002. Mrs. Keil was a member of Fairfield Presbyterian Church until moving away with her family. Upon returning to Richmond in 1967, she joined Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, where she had remained a faithful member, serving as an elder and in Presbyterian Women. For many years, Gwyn was actively involved with and served on the Board of the Richmond Home for Ladies and Covenant Woods. Mrs. Keil is survived by a son, A. Bartlett Keil and his wife, Genie, of Chesapeake, Va.; a daughter, Kimberly Byles and her husband, John, of Roanoke, Va.; and her grandchildren, Matthew Keil and his wife, Ashley, of Chesapeake, Va., Christopher Byles and Rebekah Byles, both of Roanoke, Va. The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 11 at the Mechanicsville Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 8014 Lee-Davis Road. A memorial celebration of her life will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, September 12 at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. Family and friends are invited to remain for a reception following the service. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, September 14 in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Gwyn's final months were hampered with challenges of mobility and weakness, but through it all she lived her life as God directed, and her faith remained strong. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Covenant Woods (for Covenant Fund), 7090 Lee-Davis Road, Mechanicsville, Va. 23111.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.