DEBORAH KEAN

KEAN--Deborah. Deborah (Debby) Bye Kean, beloved wife of former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, passed away peacefully at home on the evening of April 23, 2020 after a 53-year marriage. She would have turned 77 years of age on May 15. Debby Kean was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1943, the only child of the late Elizabeth Griffenberg Bye and Robert Bye, a corporate executive. Mrs. Kean was a graduate of the Tower Hill School in Wilmington and of Bennett College in Millbrook, New York. She married Thomas H. Kean on June 3, 1967. Friends and family will forever remember Debby's kindness, quick wit, generous spirit and contagious laugh. Debby was genuine, and was a person who lived her life happily and to its fullest. Both in her private life, as well as in her role of First Lady, she led with wisdom, inner strength, and thoughtfulness. There was a bright warmth to Debby that was palpable. She had a special gift of making memories out of simple moments in time. Debby adored her family and loved spending time together. She was an avid reader and gardener. Watching Cary Grant movies with her husband, needlepointing, playing cards, backgammon, and jigsaw puzzles were some of her favorite activities, often with a bowl of M&Ms nearby. Fishers Island (New York) held a special place in her heart, where she enjoyed friends who were like family, walks looking for sea glass or scallop shells, sunsets, Dusty Miller ice cream sundaes, and scanning the Sound for spinnakers. To Debby, a perfect day would be spent at the beach with her family. She often said that she was the lucky one, but without a doubt, her children and grandchildren know that they are the lucky ones. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Kean is survived by her sons, New Jersey State Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (Rhonda Norton), of Westfield; Reed Kean (Michelle Petillo), of Chatham, a business executive; a daughter, Alexandra Kean Strong (Ben Strong), of Duxbury, MA, an educator; and seven grandchildren. She was deeply loved and will be sorely missed.