Barbara Keil

Barbara Keil

1921 - 2014 WESTMINSTER WEST Barbara Miller Keil, of Westminister West, 93, died peacefully on July 1, 2014, at her home with her family. She was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., on April 19, 1921, where she attended Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan. She married her first husband, Lt. Victor Blom of the Royal Netherland Marine Corps in 1943. Having both Dutch and American citizenship, she enlisted in the new woman's branch of the Marine Corp. She went in convoy to Scotland where she joined her husband and in turn, became a civilian translator. She returned to the US and was divorced in 1949. In 1950, she married Jack Keil. They were together for 64 years. They lived in New York City for a year and then moved to Grand-View-On-Hudson, N.Y., for 58 years, moving to Westminister West for the last eight years of her life. While in Grand View and after receiving her Master'ss in Social Work from Fordam, she was co-founder of the Rockland Parent Child Center, one of the first parent-child centers in the country. Later, she served as a Guardian Ad Litum for the Vermont Family Court. Her interests lay in her gardens, classical and jazz music, travel, friends and her family. Barbara is survived by her husband, Jack; son, Nick Keil and his wife Jill; daughter, Betsy Kluck-Keil and her husband Roger, and five grandchildren and spouses, Meghan and Galen Murray, Hunter Keil and Ellen Schramm, Adam Keil, Conrad Kluck and Morgan Kluck. She was predeceased by her son, Peter Keil. FUNERAL NOTICE: A memorial service will be held at the Westminister West Church at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 5. In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara's name will be accepted at: Parks Place Community Resource Center, 44 School Street, Bellows Falls, VT 05101; or, Rockland Parent Child Center, 137 1st Ave., Nyack, NY 10960