Girvin Paul Keen

Girvin Paul Keen, 82, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on Thursday, June 30th at the home. Girvin was born in Wilmington, Delaware on May 4th, 1934. He was the son of Stanley Keen and Francis Folsom both deceased. He was one of thirteen siblings, of them he is survived by only three. Girvin was enrolled in Stony Brook Boys School to com­plete his high school educa­tion. He was very active in sports and many clubs. In his senior year, he became class secretary. He was known for his quiet demeanor and his unruffled exterior that did not hide his various talents. He constantly merited high grades and graduated 3rd in his class in 1953. His greatest ambition was to follow in his father’s footsteps. He accomplished this by working for his father at Keen Compressed Gas, Inc. in many capacities from childhood until 1967. At the age of 33, he purchased the sales territory on the Delmarva Peninsula and Keen Welding Supplies, Inc. was born in Salisbury, Maryland. Girvin was the life and breath of his new company. He was hard working and the epitome of the American dream. After 20 years, a second location was opened in Easton, Maryland in 1987. He was always an active member of the National Weld­ing Supply Association. After successfully running his busi­ness for 32 years, an excellent offer was received he could not refuse. He decided to retire and moved to Las Vegas in 2000 to enjoy his many successes. Girvin is survived by his six children, Teresa Keen of Las Vegas, Nevada who cared for him until his passing, Susan Esham and her husband Andy of Delmar, Maryland, Shirley Shenk and her husband Daniel of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Debbie Rudd and her husband Donald of Parsonsburg, Maryland, Stephen Keen of Lanham, Maryland, Richard Keen and his wife Susan of Salisbury, Maryland; eleven grand­children, Jason, Jeremy, Timo­thy, Crystal, Caria, Jared, Tyler, Cierra, Bradley, Abby, and Lindsey; and six great-grand­children, Logan, Mason, Gavin, Jayla, Jaxon, and Colton. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 6439, Americus, GA 31709-6439 or Veterans Village, 1150 Las Vegas Blvd So, Las Vegas, NV 89104 (veteransvillagelasvegas.org)