Robert Keerins

12/06/1954 - 09/23/2025

A Man for Others.
Robert Francis Keerins was born on December 6, 1954, in John Day, Oregon, to Frances and Robert Keerins. In 1957, the family moved to Vancouver, Washington, where Bobby first attended Lieser Elementary and later St. Joseph Catholic School. In the fall of 1969, Bobby entered Jesuit High School in Portland. As a 3-year varsity football trainer, Bobby was a key member of the team. It was at St. Joe's and Jesuit that Bobby developed many lifelong relationships he cherished. Following his graduation from JHS in 1973, Bobby attended the University of Portland, earning a Bachelor's in Economics in 1977. After working for Portland Fish Company and Popper's Supply, Bobby joined Stuart Follen at the SL Follen Company in 1988, an agricultural products trading business, where they worked together for 37 years, making deals and friends all over Asia and beyond.
A true outdoorsman and conservationist, Bobby could be found hunting pheasants in Heppner, Oregon, blue quail in Mexico, hauling in enormous Chinook salmon on the Columbia River, or moving cattle on the Keerins family ranch in Izee, Oregon. He worked tirelessly to help protect Oregon's natural resources through his work with programs such as the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Bob was recently awarded The Northwest Guides and Anglers Association's Rainmaker Award - one of his many accolades.
Bobby's true soul and character were revealed through his deep faith and tireless work helping others. He was a founding member and the heart and soul of the Jesuit High School Alumni Food Drive. Despite his desire to operate in the background, calling no attention to himself, Bobby's presence and impact were felt by all. He ensured thousands of food boxes were filled and delivered year after year in a project that has radiated from JHS to several other organizations and schools in the greater Portland area. He co-founded and operated the charity organization, Camps for Kids, which has sent countless local children to extracurricular camps they could otherwise not afford to attend. Bobby's goal was always to help more people this year than the last.
Bobby's kindness and generosity were his defining characteristics. Notorious for unannounced visits to drop off a flat of berries or to find out if you had anything sweet to eat in your house, Bobby's presence was one of a kind. You could find him out to lunch five days a week with a different friend each day - a lunch you would never pay for yourself. He loved his friends, his family, his labrador retrievers, and Notre Dame football. He was deeply proud of his Irish heritage. He was a man of great faith, his mantra being to "Love God and to serve your Brothers and Sisters." He embodied those qualities in how he lived his life every day. He was truly a man for others. Knowing and loving Bob was a privilege.
Bobby died peacefully at his home in Portland on September 23, 2025 surrounded by his family after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his partner, Joann Mauritz, and her children Alex Mauritz (Janet) and Katie Mauritz (Bart), his nieces and nephews, Victor Follen (Maria), Molly Barry (Patrick), Spencer Follen (Erin), and Abby Follen, his great-nieces and nephews Joseph, Walter, Amelia, Eleanor, Lucas, Hattie, Frances, Finley, Lauren, and Jack, and his sisters Molly Fletcher (Dave), Margaret Follen (Stuart), and Colleen Keerins. Bob's life will be celebrated with a funeral mass at St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Church on October 15, 2025 at 10 a.m. with a reception to follow at The Multnomah Athletic Club. A rosary service will be held on October 14, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Jesuit High School Chapel. He will be buried privately next to his parents in John Day, Oregon.
In lieu of flowers, and at his insistence, please make donations to The Jesuit High School Alumni food drive, the Bob Keerins Fund at the Catholic Schools Foundation/Ascend, St. Vincent de Paul of Portland, or The Blanchet House. Bobby requested that you celebrate and toast him with your favorite Irish whiskey!