Sally Whitcomb Keen

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Sally Keen Obituary

Sally Whitcomb Keen, 80, of Arlington, Va., died Tuesday, June 21, 2016, after a brief illness.
She was a world traveler, cancer survivor, volunteer, knitter and unflagging talker. She had just celebrated her 80th birthday, surrounded by family.
Mrs. Keen was born Sarah Lowell Whitcomb June 15, 1936, in Bethlehem.
She was a Wavus camper from age seven through her college years. At Wavus, on Lake Damariscotta, Maine, she became a strong swimmer, a sharpshooter first class, and a hiker who climbed Mount Katahdin. She was a 1954 graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, where she competed on the school's synchronized swim team. She continued her education at Pembroke College of Brown University in Providence, R.I., traveling to Europe on a steamer while in college, and graduating in 1958. An English major, she did graduate work at Lehigh University, where she met William Parker Keen, whom she married in 1961.
Mrs. Keen taught high school English at William Allen High School in Allentown and Emma Willard School in Troy, N.Y. As a young woman, she worked as an executive in the Lehigh Valley Girl Scouts, and after her three girls were grown, she and her business partner, Ellen McGill, founded and ran College Search, a company dedicated to helping high school-aged students in Southwestern Pennsylvania gain admission to colleges and universities all over the country. She was often ahead of her time, advocating for college access and financial aid for her clients in the 1980s, and organizing glass recycling in the early 1970s.
Her most lasting contributions to her community she accomplished as a skilled volunteer, leading the board of Washington Senior Citizens Center and serving many other agencies and civic organizations. As a co-founder and tutor for Literacy Council for Southwestern PA, she changed the lives of her adult students. With her husband, Bill, she shared the Distinguished Service Award of Washington & Jefferson College.
After recovering from surgery for ovarian cancer in 1989, she resolved to travel the world, beginning with Russia. For many years, she accompanied groups of Washington & Jefferson College students on study abroad trips to European countries. With her husband, she traveled to every continent. At the time of her death, she was looking forward to a trip to Iceland.
Mrs. Keen leaves her husband, Bill; brother Howard Whitcomb; sisters-in-law Barbara Keen Kinloch, Myrt Whitcomb, Cheryl Hollman Keen and Annie Merrill Whitcomb; brothers-in-law James Parker Keen and Reed Kinloch; daughters Suzanne Parker Keen, Rebecca Keen Longsworth and Rachel Keen Hutchisson; sons-in-law Francis MacDonnell, Paul Longsworth and James Hutchisson; and five grandsons, Jacob Whitcomb MacDonnell, Parker Townsend Longsworth, Samuel Keen Hutchisson, Zachary Keen Longsworth and William Lawrence Hutchisson.
"Day is done, gone the sun. From the lake, from the hill, from the sky. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh," as she played on her bugle.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Brown University, for need-based financial aid; Virginia Hospital Center; or Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Observer-Reporter on Jun. 27, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Sally Keen

4 Entries

Lee Tyler Robbins

July 2, 2016

I was a cabin mate and counselor with Sally at Wavus Camps on Damariscotta Lake in Maine. Sally was a leader with a keen intellect and a wonderful sense of humor. We shared many laughs and lots of good times together. After leaving Wavus, we kept up thru e-mail and letters. Then when Wavus was reinstated as a camp we would gather yearly with Bill at camp reunions and with other Wavus friends on the lake. These always became a sharing time of camp memories and much laughter over things we had done in our youth. I will miss not being able to share these memories and especially hearing her wonderful laugh.

My condolences to Bill, Rebecca, Rachel,
Suzanne and their families.

Jon and Maryann Coulter

June 28, 2016

Today we learned of the passing of Sally Keen, a great lady and our great friend. Her loss leaves an empty space in our hearts, which cannot be filled. Our deepest sympathies to her husband Bill and her three daughters Rebecca, Rachel, and Suzanne.
Jon first met Mrs. Keen when he enrolled at Washington and Jefferson College in 1966. She was kind enough to tolerate the presence of freshmen in her home when her husband, Dr. Keen, invited a gaggle of them over for extracurricular musings about poetry and the Rheinheitsgebot. At the time, they knew precious little about poetry. Mrs. Keen never laughed at their ignorance until after they had left for the dorms. Over the next four years Jon was privileged to take many courses from Dr. Keen. The bonus of enduring Ulysses was many more opportunities to see Mrs. Keen.
Over the years, our friendship deepened. After Jon finished grad school, he made many more visits to her home, often unannounced. Unaccountably, she still let him in! Once we were married, however, Jon was certain that she could not turn him away. She even let our children visit. We treasure a photo of Dr. Keen teaching our first-born to play their piano. Joey was thirteen months old at the time.
Jon was able to explore several countries with Mrs. Keen during W&J intersession trips. He remembers how she repaired a sweater he had damaged in their Istanbul hotel. He also remembers how she helped him persuade a group of students that they should forgo partying one night so they could board the early tourist bus from Aswan. This was so they could catch the sun shining on the eastern face of the Abu Simbel temple rather than viewing it in shadow. She cleverly pointed out that the students could (and did) sleep on the bus anyway.
It was a highlight for us whenever Dr. and Mrs. Keen came to Pittsburgh. On those occasions we were able to see an occasional opera or play. The best, though, were the times they drove up to attend our Saint Nicholas Parties. She was great fun in a house inundated with screeching munchkins.
We were delighted to be invited to her home the night she and her husband were honored with the W&J Distinguished Service Award. We were nearly as honored to be allowed to plunder her bookshelves when she decided to move to Arlington.
Our most recent visit with Mrs. Keen was at the Oktoberfest she hosted last year. Throughout the day she was her usual cheerful self. We were grateful for the invitation and impressed with her courage. We hope she realized how much we loved her. Mrs. Keen always insisted Jon call her by her first name, but out of respect, he never could bring himself to do it..

Eternal Memory Vjicnaja pamjat. We will never forget you Sally!

Jon and Maryann Coulter

Bob and Esther Swartz

June 27, 2016

We will all miss Sally--her ready wit, curiosity and energy made time spent with her special. We send our deepest condolences to the Keen family.

Sally and Ned Randall

June 27, 2016

Sally and Ned Randall send condolences to Bill and to Sally's children.
We loved the times we spent with you at your home in "Little Washington"-especially Sally's playing the bugle after dinner. Sally was my "maid of honor" at my wdding to Ned. We were Pembroke girls.As the years and jobs and travels and moves separated us,I thought of her often.Her energy was inspiring. Her knitting was wonderful.
If you come back to Washington Bill, we would like to see you. You were best friends to each other and wonderful company. We will think of you as you grieve. With love, Sally and Ned

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