Robert Louis Kealy

Kealy, Robert Louis A sign reading "Lt. Colonel for Peace" hung at his front door. The Lt. Colonel Robert "Bob" Kealy peacefully passed away on November 26, 2012, at the grand age of 96. His family and friends admire his strong spirit and intellectual curiosity that he exercised until his passage. Born on May 5, 1916, in St. Paul, MN, Bob spent his youth in the River Falls area of Wisconsin. While attending the University of Chicago Law School, he met and married Mollie Eldred Abbott. A member of the Greatest Generation, he served in the Pacific in WWII and spent many years in the Army Reserves legal services. In the early 50's, Mollie and Bob moved from Hyde Park to the Town of Summit. With his brother Joe, he constructed a Tech Built house next to Nashotah House Seminary in 1959. There, he and Mollie raised six children and later sold the home to his eldest daughter Erin. Sharing a passion for social justice, he and Mollie sought to make the world a better place through philanthropy, advocacy and action. They were highly involved in politics and civil demonstrations, and brought their whole family to the 1968 Democratic convention where Bob served as an alternate delegate. Bob spent his early legal career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and later returned to academic pursuits. He pursued his love of Philosophy and Comparative Literature in a PhD program and taught college-level English. In 1977, Mollie and Bob moved to Milwaukee's lower East Side and renovated the historic Graham Row at 1501 N. Marshall St. True history detectives, they succeeded in having the property listed National Register of Historic Places and contributed greatly to the neighborhood's redevelopment and resurgence. Bob's thirst for knowledge was limitless. A voracious reader and writer, he knew many languages and traveled the globe with Mollie and his children and grandchildren. In the decade of his life, he focused his studies on the Dutch Enlightenment and writings of Baruch Spinoza. A faithful supporter of the arts, Bob was a 45-year subscriber to the Milwaukee Rep. and also subscribed to Next Act and Chamber Theater. Bob's legacy lives on in his children Erin (Joel) Green and Jared, Abbie (Bill Bealmear), Megan, Mollie (Harvey Walters) and Peter (Beth) Kealy. His grandchildren Kelly (Blake Leinberger) and Kaitlin Gauthier, Emily and Ben Bealmear and Medora, Tyler and Marshall Kealy, all wish him well on his journey. Per his wishes, Bob's human body was donated to the UW-Madison Medical School. A memorial service will be held at 11 AM, Sunday, December 30, at Boerner Gardens, Garden Room, Hales Corners, WI. Memorial gifts to Next Act Theatre, the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation or the Milwaukee Public Museum are suggested.