Richard "Dick" Keane

A Life Lived to Music

Here are pictures of Richard M. Keane: a man in exceptionally grubby clothes tending his garden while a boom box blasted out Orbison or Puccini; coming home from a business trip and telling his wife, Judy Keane, about the man he met on a plane; riding the commuter bus from his home off the village green of Wethersfield, Conn., to the Marsh & McLennan office in Hartford. (Mr. Keane, a senior vice president, was making a rare trip to Marsh's World Trade Center office for a meeting on Sept. 11.)

Mr. Keane, who exuded friendliness, loved to collect stories about people on his constant business travels. He believed in public transportation as a public good. He loved to garden, bringing to life 80 tomato plants this year and growing Connecticut field pumpkins every fall for the children in his extended family. "Dick was always trying to foist vegetables off on people," Mrs. Keane said.

And his life was done to music. "If I ask him to put up a picture for me, he can't do that until the music is going," she said. He was not the greatest singer, but sang in the choir of Sacred Heart Church, where he would shuttle several blind women on most Sundays.

A brother-in-law, Dr. Thomas C. Dolan, remembers Mr. Keane's constant coaching as father of five sons, the marathons he started at age 40, the communal house paintings every year. "The glass of water was always half-full for this guy," Dr. Dolan said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 29, 2001.


Richard "Dick" Keane, 54, of Wethersfield, died Tuesday, (September 11, 2001) in the World Trade Center Attack in New York City, NY. Born in Boston, MA, he was raised in Weymouth, MA and Dalton, MA. He was the son of Richard M. Keane, Pittsfield, MA the late Charlotte (Garrett) Keane. He attended the Seminary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Newburgh, NY, and graduated from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH in 1969; he received an M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Springfield College, and an M.B.A. from the University of Hartford. He was a Captain in the U.S. Marines, serving in Camp Pendleton, CA, Iwakuni, Japan and briefly in Viet Nam. He was employed by the Travelers for many years, the Watson Insurance Agency, and most recently was a Senior Vice President at Marsh McLennan in Hartford. He was an Insurance Consultant for most of his business career, specializing in Worker's Compensation. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Judy (Murphy) Keane; and by five sons and two daughters-in-law, Sean and Colleen Keane, Timothy and Heather Keane, and Daniel Keane, all of Wethersfield, Patrick Keane of Boston, MA and Matthew Keane of Wethersfield; his adored grandchildren, Conor and McKenzie Keane; brothers and sisters, Robert Keane, of Pennsylvania, Garrett Keane, of New Hampshire, Mary Denise Lum, in Alaska, Charlotte Keane, of Hawaii, Connie Feola, of New York, Terri Wilson, of New York, and Paul Keane, of Pittsfield, MA; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He also leaves a community of brothers and sisters-in-law, and devoted friends that he enjoyed spending time with enormously. He was involved over the years with PTA, coached many sports teams, and worked with Football, Soccer, Track, Wrestling and Swim Booster Clubs. He was a Eucharistic Minister at Sacred Heart Church in Wethersfield, where he also was a member of the Choir, ministered to the sick, and was a member of the Parish Council. Dick was an avid reader and gardener; he built rock walls, loved sports, enjoyed cooking and woodworking, but most of all he loved being with his family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on October 8, 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 56 Hartford Avenue, Wethersfield. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Richard M. Keane Sports Foundation, P.O. Box 290742, Wethersfield, CT. 06209-0742, or at www.keane foundation.org. The D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield is entrusted with the arrangements. www.desopo.com