John David Desmond Keighley

John D. D. Keighley died on Friday, June 9th, 2023 in Leesburg, Virginia.

He was born on July 24th, 1956 in St. Marylebone, London, UK to Dr. John F.H. and Anita M. Keighley.  John attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Syracuse, New York in the mid-1970’s; in his formative years John’s inquisitive mind drove him to constantly taking things apart, working on motors and electronics.  John served in the U.S. Army, performing duties as a helicopter mechanic.  This military experience further fueled his passion for all things technical.  After his tour in the U.S. Army, John worked in the Pacific Northwest, and then in Texas for major U.S. computer companies in the nascent information technology sector, focusing his interest in computing systems hardware and software.

After a few years, John came home to Upstate New York, and spent a short time with the family, and worked out his path for a career.  John then attended State University of New York at Buffalo where he received a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  John helped build and ground test many satellites for commercial and government applications, which set the stage for many modern satellite communications networks.

After a successful multi-decade career, he then moved to Northern Virginia to be close to his family once again.  John was a gentle soul, always looking to help solve problems for others.  John enjoyed living in Leesburg, Virginia, and loved working on his home and yard. For the last seven years, John has been a fixture in his neighborhood, as he was seen working in his yard or tinkering on projects in his garage on an almost daily basis.

John is preceded in death by his parents John and Anita, and is survived by his sister Elizabeth K. Smith of Leesburg, Virginia, and his twin siblings, brother David F. Keighley of Ashburn, Virginia, and sister Joanne M. Evans and her husband Erik, of Leesburg, and other relatives near and far.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the members of the first responder organizations of Leesburg: the Leesburg Police department, and the Leesburg Fire Department for their support, and to all his neighbors, who reflected his kindness.  The family is forever thankful that he was surrounded by kind and friendly neighbors, befitting his nature, in his last chapter of his life.  We thank God for the gift of his life, and the blessing for the time we had with him – it always seems too short. He was truly a wonderful Big Brother to all of us.

A family and friends service will be held at the burial site, The Saint Rose of Lima Garden at St. John’s the Apostle Cemetery, 101 Oakcrest Manor Dr NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 on Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 at 11:00  a.m. Flowers may be sent to the Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg, Inc., 201 Edwards Ferry Road N.E., Leesburg, Virginia, 20176, or memorial donations may be sent to the first responders that support Leesburg, Virginia - The Leesburg Fire Department (https://www.leesburgfire.org/support) and/or The Leesburg Police Department https://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/police