Fred Keegan

Fred Keegan 11/17/1921 – 7/19/2012 The man whom the New York Times dubbed "Fireball Freddy" has died after serving God, family and country. Fred was a sailor in the US Navy with a career that spanned from 1941 in Pearl Harbor to the Lebanon conflict in 1961. He could have also been called "unsinkable" for surviving three naval tragedies. In 1941, just after completing basic training, Fred was immediately shipped out to Pearl Harbor, one month before the Japanese attack. He was an engine room seaman aboard the battleship USS Nevada, located directly behind the USS Arizona on Battleship Row. He was proud of the fact that the USS Nevada was the only ship to get her engines fired up and underway midway through the attack. The Nevada was later forced to run aground due to the heavily focused aerial assault on the moving ship. After surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, Fred volunteered to join the carrier USS Lexington. The Lady Lex was on her way to glory in the Battle of the Coral Sea when she sank in battle. Fred was forced to abandon ship in the middle of the ocean. Fred's third close call during World War II came aboard a subchaser that was part of a convoy escort. That subchaser sank when a transport ship accidently collided with it, cutting the ship in two. Fred never got a scratch and was only one of two crew members to survive that mishap. Fred served all of WWII in the US Navy on active duty and at war. The New York Times nicknamed him "Fireball Freddy" when his heroism was detailed and his skill cited at shooting down enemy aircraft. Most of his wartime duty was in the overheated engine rooms of ships as a boiler and diesel mechanic. Fred also fought during the Korean War, again at sea in the war zone, for the duration of that conflict. He worked his way up from Seaman to Chief Warrant Officer aboard the USS Wrangel, an ammunition supply ship serving the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, retiring from the Navy in 1961. In 1946, Fred met the love of his life, Regina Rosella McCarthy, on Treasure Island in San Francisco. They were married for 64 years. After retiring from the Navy and moving his family to Peekskill, New York, Fred began a second career as a maintenance engineer for IBM. He began at IBM during the start-up and construction of the advanced computer research lab in Yorktown, New York. He also taught air conditioning and mechanical systems at night at BOCES, an occupational school in New York. In early 1979, Fred transferred to Arizona for the construction, start-up and operation of IBM's Tucson plant. He retired in 1985. After leaving IBM, he started his own maintenance service company, helping young and old alike with home repair needs, often for the wage of a cup of good coffee. There were few things with moving parts that Fred could not repair. Fred was a beloved father of six children, grandfather of ten and surrogate parent to many more. His wife, Regina and daughter, Catherine still live in Tucson. He could always be found with a good book in his hands. He was a modest man and requested that there be no memorial service. Fred asked only that his ashes be spread in the Pacific Ocean. Arrangements by EAST LAWN PALMS MORTUARY.