Agnes Theresa Marie Keelen

Agnes Theresa Marie Keelen was born on June 5, 1926 in Newark, NJ and passed away 3 months shy of her 99th year on March 6, 2025. During her final years, she resided in Naples, FL, alongside her son, Patrick McMahon, and his husband, Todd Brooks.

Though Florida became her home in later years, she spent much of her life in New Jersey, where she shared cherished moments with her daughter, Maureen Ultimo, and her husband, Sal Ultimo, as well as her son, Thomas McMahon, and his wife, Christine McMahon. Agnes was a proud grandmother to five grandchildren: Christopher Ultimo, Caitlin Ultimo-Pereyra, Callie Nagel, Alexandra Webb, and Ashley Shiffer. She was also blessed with six great-grandchildren, whom she cherished dearly.

Agnes was the leader of the band throughout her high school years and throughout her life. She spent many years as a Rosary Society member and an Ancient Order of Hibernians member and was honored as the 2008 AOH Woman of the Year.

Throughout her entire life, Agnes was a very talented artist. Whether painting, decorating her home, or crafting costumes for her grandchildren, she never lost the spark of creativity that brightened every space she touched. Though life’s responsibilities guided her away from an early dream of working in a New York ad agency, she poured her imagination into her family, inspiring a legacy of artists and creative minds in the generations that followed.

The name “Nannie” came from her grandchildren inspired by the same joyful enchantment found in Mary Poppins. It’s a feeling they got when she would come to see them. Agnes truly lived up to that magical role. Her quick wit, candid insights, and unwavering support made her a guiding light, inspiring her grandchildren and all who knew her.

To know her was to love her and her hand-painted Snoopy cards, which never missed an occasion, especially St. Patrick’s Day, always signed with "Irish hugs and kisses." Agnes was immensely proud of her Irish heritage and never missed an opportunity to celebrate it. St. Patrick’s Day was more than just a holiday to her, it was a season of joy, tradition, and family. Whether she was donning green or sharing her Irish soda bread, she carried the spirit of Ireland in her heart every day of the year. Her love for Irish music, history, and faith was woven into the very fabric of her life, and she took great pride in passing down those traditions to her family.

A service to celebrate Agnes’s life will be held on May 3rd, 2025, at 10:00 AM at St. Justin’s Church 975 Fischer Boulevard, Toms River, NJ 08753.

She was a true force—immensely proud of her family and deeply devoted to those she loved. Her power, pride, and Irish wit will live on through them, who will always remember her dearly as "Nannie." Agnes’s legacy is one of creativity, strength, and unwavering love. Her family will carry on her traditions, her wisdom, and, most of all, her Irish spirit. And though she has left this world, we know that somewhere, she’s dancing to an Irish tune, and watching over her loved ones with that same sparkle in her eyes. Her Irish eyes are forever smiling.

"To think I did all that. And may I say, not in a shy way. Oh, no, oh, no, not me. I did it my way." - Frank Sinatra”