Steven Harris Keeney

On July 2, 2025, Steven Harris Keeney passed away peacefully with his wife, son, and brother at his side. Steve was born in Philadelphia in October 1949 but spent most of his life in Louisville. He also lived in Connecticut for twelve years: He earned a B.A. at Trinity College, where he was student body president, a political activist, and president of the campus chapter of SDS; an M.A. at the Hartford Seminary; and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut.

While a student, Steve also bought his first car, a bright yellow Corvette. He paid for it by delivering the morning edition of the Hartford Courant. A few years later, he became a reporter at the Courant and then the education editor.

After law school, Steve returned to Louisville to begin his legal career. He is best known for a case that led him to solve a murder in California. A member of his church asked him for help looking into an insurance company's refusal to pay the claim after her 25-year-old daughter, Deanna, died. Deanna had gone to Big Sur with an older couple and had supposedly fallen off a cliff. Steve collected enough evidence of foul play to convince a prosecutor to charge the couple with first-degree murder. He discovered others connected to the couple also had mysteriously died.

The story got national attention. The New York Times called Steve "the best pro-bono lawyer in the country." The case was the subject of the book and movie Death Benefit.

Steve enjoyed being a father to his son, Christian. When Christian was a child, Steve took him fishing at Lake Cumberland. After Christian caught his first fish, Steve took the requisite celebratory picture of Christian with his catch and told him to "throw it back," which Christian interpreted literally, launching the fish as far and high as his little arm could muster. Steve was a patient teacher, though. Without missing a beat, he said, "A little less arc next time" and showed Christian how to gently set a fish back into the water.

Steve and Lorri married in 2003, although unknown to them, their paths had crossed years earlier. Lorri had been one of the customers on his newspaper delivery route. She remembered the yellow Corvette – and the paper boy with the long hair.

Steve and Lorri were also business partners. They started a home inspection business, InspectHomes4U, and a school for training home inspectors, Advance Professional Learning Institute4U, which they ran for over 20 years. They also loved cooking and gardening together, and spending time with their dog, Ruby.

Steve leaves behind so many who will miss him, including Lorri; Christian and his wife, Patty; his stepdaughter, Jennifer Foster, her husband, O.J., and their children, Emma, Elizabeth, and Jackson; his brother, Doug, and sister-in-law, Jill; his sister, Martha Heyburn; and his nephews, Doug Jr., Alex, Will, and Jack; and, of course, the dog, Ruby.

Waiting for him on the other side are his parents, Dr. Arthur and Dr. Virginia Keeney, and his brother-in-law, Judge John G. Heyburn II.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 9, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, where Steve served for years as an elder and Sunday school teacher. Visitation will precede the service at 10 a.m., and a reception will follow. Interment at Cave Hill Cemetery will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to Woodstock Animal Foundation, 843 Lane Allen Road Lexington, KY 40504.

Arrangements under the direction of Pearson's,

"Where Louisville Goes to Remember"