Thomas Francis Keane

Thomas Francis Keane died on March 28, 2023, age 73, at his home in Ros Muc, Ireland.

From a very young age, Tommy's courage and curiosity would lead him out of his Irish-speaking village to London and then on to New York at the age of 18, where the second part of his life would begin. Here is where he met his wife, beginning a 50-year journey together that has been a model of partnership and love. From Galway Bay to Prudhoe Bay, the tunnels of New York City to building bridges in Denali and pipelines across Alaska, his physical strength and determination was his currency that would allow him to provide for his family in a way he wouldn't have been able to anywhere else in the world.

Tommy was a thinker, walking several miles a day content in his own thoughts. Though he may not have been considered a talker, he could easily be the best conversation you'd have that day. He showed us that it is possible to be in the thick of things without being loud, to listen and to pipe up with a perfectly timed wise crack when needed. Of all his special qualities, his kindness was his ultimate gift. Through all of the hardships faced, he remained thoughtful and compassionate. Tommy was kind and gentle to his core.

He was preceded in death by his son, Martin; parents, Peter and Mary; brothers, Mike (Vera), Willie (Evelyn), Seamus and Martin.

He is survived by his wife, Noeleen; daughters, Maryann, and Sharon Schwalm (Kirk); grandsons, Kieran and Quinn; sisters, Maureen Rooney (Mike), Maggie Furbush (Doug); brothers, Joey (Marian), Paddy (Anne Marie), Paul (Margaret) and Gerry. It has been our greatest honor to have felt the great love of a man like him.

A funeral mass was held in Kilkieran, Connemara, on April 1 that can be viewed at rip.ie with a burial to follow in Fairbanks at a later date.