Mary Keogh

Mary Keogh

WILLISTON - Mary Kathleen "Katie" Keogh, 57, a longtime Williston resident, passed away April 25, 2009, at Rochester Methodist Hospital, Rochester, Minn., after a brief illness, with her family and many friends present. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 30, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Williston, with the Rev. Dennis Schafer officiating. Interment will be in Riverview Cemetery.

Friends may visit Everson Funeral Home, Williston, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church and for the hour preceding the funeral mass on Thursday. A vigil with a rosary will be held at 7 p.m. today at the church.

Mary Kathleen "Katie" Keogh was born Dec. 18, 1951, in Williston. She was the second of seven children of Kathleen O' Connor and the late Edward Jordan Hagan, M.D. Katie graduated from Williston High School in 1969. While growing up, Katie excelled in academics, music, swimming, horseback riding and everything else she tried.

Katie attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., for two years before transferring to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She completed her bachelor of science degree in physical therapy in 1973 and practiced in Oklahoma City, Okla., and Phoenix. In 1993, she earned her masters degree in physical therapy from UND.

Katie was united in marriage to Francis Patrick "Frank" Keogh of Keene, on Aug. 20, 1977, in Williston. Katie and Frank lived in Fargo for 10 years, where Katie practiced physical therapy at Dakota Hospital and also worked at St. Luke's hospital in Fargo. The Keoghs welcomed their first child, Erin Kathleen, in 1980, followed by Colleen Hyland in 1981 and Patrick Brooks in 1984.

The family moved to Williston in 1987. Katie continued her physical therapy career in Williston and was popular with her many patients. She was very active in church and community organizations, including the Roughrider International Art Show, St. Joseph's Altar Society and Catholic Daughters, American Association of University Women and the Friends of the North Dakota Governor's Mansion. She chaired the local United Way fundraising drive and the Mercy Medical Foundation board of directors for several years. Recently, she served proudly on the Williston Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee and volunteered at St. Joseph's Catholic School.

Katie's greatest joy was the central role she had in the lives of her three children. She never missed a choir concert, tennis match, hockey game or cross country meet and took extreme pride in her children's accomplishments. As her children moved away to attend college and begin their careers, she took great pleasure in visiting and helping them adjust to new lifestyles.

Among her many hobbies and interests, Katie was an avid tennis player. She loved spending summer mornings on the courts and treasured the time she spent with her tennis friends. She also loved to celebrate her Irish heritage, travel with Frank and the children, cheer on her beloved Gonzaga Bulldogs and spend time with her mother and sisters.

Katie generously blessed everyone she knew with her many gifts. She had impeccable taste, style and class, and was an incomparable hostess and chef. She loved to entertain - no event or party was too big or too complicated for her to host with ease.

Her most wonderful gift was her unique capacity to welcome others and make them feel at ease, whether it was on the tennis courts, in her home or in the community. The traditions she established will continue to enrich the lives of her family members and friends. The void she leaves behind is immeasurable.

Katie is survived by her husband, Frank; her daughters, Erin and Colleen Keogh, Arlington, Va.; her son, Captain Patrick Keogh, serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq; her mother, Kathleen Hagan, Williston; her brothers, Edward Jordan (B.J.) Hagan, Essex, Mont., and Michael C. (Deb) Hagan, M.D. , Billings, Mont.; her sisters, Mary Gen (David) Ledecky, Bethesda, Md., Mary Anne (Jim, M.D.) Nichols, Billings, Mary Margaret "Peg" Hagan, Williston, and Mary Colleen (Guy) Letendre, Ogden, Utah; special aunts and uncles, Gen Hagan, Williston, Charles (Doris) O' Connor, Yakima, Wash., Thomas O'Connor, Albuquerque, N.M., Jerry (Mabelle) O'Connor, Rothschild, Wis., and Helen Manaras, Havre, Mont.; her sisters-in-law, Kathleen (Ron) Spicer, Napa, Calif., and Mary (Barry) Groves, Elk Grove, Calif.; 14 nieces and nephews and numerous cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, Edward J. Hagan, M.D.

Memorials should be directed to St. Joseph's Educational Foundation, P.O. Box K, Williston, ND 58802, or the Gift of Life Transplant House, attn: Donations, 705 Second St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55902, or refer to www.gift-of-life.org .

Friends may share remembrances of Katie at www.eversonfh.com, the Everson Funeral Home website.