James E. Keenan's Obituary
Obituary
Mr. James E. Keenan, 86, of Middletown, MD, passed away peacefully at home on December 20, 2019. He was the loving husband of Helen Keenan, his wife of 54 years.
Born in Altoona, PA on April 16, 1933, James was the son of the late Faber and Alice Keenan of Gallitzin, PA.
Mr. Keenan graduated from St. Francis University in Loretto, PA in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. He also held teaching degrees in English & History.
He proudly served this country in the Army for 4 years as a Teletype Operator, studied and successfully completed Cryptography courses and received Decorations as a Sharpshooter. Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Keenan went on to become a U. S. Government employee in telecommunications for the Department of Defense, in Arlington, VA and later as a Communications Specialist at Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD until retiring in 1985. After retirement, he was recruited by Data Systems Analysts, a Government Defense Contractor, as a Systems Analyst where he remained until retiring in 1995. Unable to remain “retired”, he became an Independent Consultant and Computer Programming Teacher for the Department of Defense for 5 more years.
Mr. Keenan was an avid gun enthusiast. He enjoyed shooting and going to gun shows. He enjoyed teaching anyone who would listen about the history and inner workings of multiple varieties of rifles and handguns and was well known at most gun shops in the area.
Mr. Keenan was also a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, a tradition his daughter, Beth, continues.
In addition to his loving wife, Helen, he is survived by his daughter Beth Sparks and husband James of Sharpsburg, MD, his daughter Marie Keenan of Lancaster, PA and his granddaughter Kylie Sparks of Sharpsburg, MD. He is also survived by many in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on Friday, December 27th, 2019 at Resthaven Funeral Home, 9501 Catoctin Mountain Hwy. in Frederick. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 28th, 2019 at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 118 E 2nd St, Frederick, MD 21701. Interment with military honors will follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick. Floral tributes are welcome, or, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Frederick County, P.O. Box 1799, Frederick, MD 21702 and Abuzz Healthcare Services (abuzzhealthllc.com).
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