George Denègre Keenan, Sr.

George Denègre Keenan Sr. died on Monday, April 10th, from complications following a stroke. He was born July 21, 1943, in Biloxi, Mississippi, to the dear, late Richard Calvert Keenan Jr. and the late Alma “Nenette” Baldwin Denègre Keenan. He was preceded in death by his beloved grandparents, Thomas Bayne Denègre and Alma Baldwin Denègre, and Walter Cook Keenan and Armide Therese Crump Keenan.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Margaret “Molly” Virginia Hallaron Keenan, and his beloved children: Margaret “Meg” Manning Keenan, PhD, and her husband Kevin Francis Tucker, and George Denègre Keenan Jr. and his wife Sheri Leigh, and her son Jason Eiker-Wiles.

He is also survived by his dear brothers: Richard Calvert Keenan Jr. (Ann) and their children Erin, Courtney, and Bayne and their families; Peter Crump Keenan (Gwen) and their children Caroline, Nenette, Scott, and their families, along with the family of their son, the late Eric Dusang; Albert Baldwin Keenan (Veronica Whalen) and their children Lee, Nora, and Clare and their families; and Bayne Cook Keenan (Joan Dunaway) and their children Charlotte and Madeleine and their families. In addition, he is survived by his many devoted Hallaron and Keenan nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, his devoted Denègre and Hopkins cousins, and his cherished friends, the Carriere and Hardin-Curran families. He was like a grandfather to Gary and Sue Quinlan Mooney’s children, Charlie, Patrick, and Beth, and to Robert and Anne Carriere Leslie’s children, John Robert and Merrill “Mel.”

George attended St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, LA, for five years to train for the Roman Catholic priesthood and later graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a BA in English. As a post-graduate he studied computer information systems at Tulane University.

He began his career in the insurance industry working for companies in the New Orleans area and then moved to New York City, along with this wife and infant daughter, in order to work for Chubb and Son, where he became an officer of the company. After working for Chubb in both Pittsburg and Atlanta, George moved back to New Orleans along with his family which now included an infant son. He found a professional home at The Gray Insurance Company where he served as Head of Underwriting, Vice-President, and on the Board of Directors of both The Gray Insurance Company and The Gray Causality & Surety Company. In later years he put his considerable technical talents to use as Head of Information Technology.

George was a scholar, an avid student, and a frustrated liturgist of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. He was well steeped in ecclesiastical Latin and classical church music, and the works of Bach and Handel, as well as Gregorian Chant. Watching baseball was one of his favorite pastimes, and he was overjoyed when living on the East Coast when the Mets and the Pirates won the World Series. He loved sailing, raced Cal-25’s, and owned a number of sailboats, lastly his dear Pelican. His passion for sailing sprang from racing at the SYC and happily spent summers and weekends at his Denègre grandparents’ home, “Malua,” in Biloxi. Molly and George spent their honeymoon in Biloxi with his beloved grandparents at their home, de rigeur.

He and Molly were utterly dedicated to the Tulane Catholic Center and its wonderful priests: Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits, along with the superb students, where George served as Lector. The Very Reverend Provincial, Father Thomas Condon, O.P., nominated George and Molly to receive the St. Louis Medallion for service to the community. The Mass, conducted at St. Louis Cathedral, where the award was bestowed, was one of their most treasured memories and a fabulous party followed.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at The Gray Insurance Co., Ochsner Medical Center, especially Dr. Samuel Colby Danna, along with the staff at Crane’s Rehab Center, and the Reverend Father Daniel Patrick Dwyer, o.f.m., who traveled with Molly and George throughout Europe.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a 10:00 a.m. visitation, followed by a high Noon Mass, on Easter Monday, April 17, at the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, concelebrated by the Reverend Father Stephen Rowntree, S.J. and the Reverend Father Thomas Schaefgen, O.P.

Honorary Pallbearers will be: Tommy Brooks, Charles P. Carriere, Oscar Creech, Robert Sidney Curran, Stanhope Bayne-Jones Denègre, David Lothar Ederer, Peter Crump Keenan, Edward Louis Levert Jr., Dan Manguno, Tom Neilly, David and Mike Pixberg, Michael Plemer, and Wilfred John Vosberg, III.

Also, a memorial mass will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22nd, at 10:00 a.m. at the Tulane Catholic Center, 1037 Audubon Street, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, kindly make donations to St. Joseph Abbey, 75376 River Road, St. Benedict, LA 75376 or to The Tulane Catholic Center, 1037 Audubon St., New Orleans, LA 70118.