Frank Hugh Kean III, 87, peacefully died on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at the Baton Rouge General Hospital after a brief illness. He was born in Baton Rouge to the late Frank Hugh Kean Jr. and Emily Louise Mathews. He graduated high school from the McCallie School in Chattanooga after his father had enough of his shenanigans at University High School and decided he needed a wake-up call to fulfill his full potential.
Frank will be remembered for numerous things -- being a committed family man and husband, a businessman and a community leader in Baton Rouge, an avid hunter whose happy place was Cashiers, North Carolina, and a man who loved a good joke. During his high school years, he was known for pranking his friends and teachers endlessly. The straw that broke the camel’s back might have been the time he and a friend put a jack under an older teacher’s car, just high enough so the tire didn’t touch the road. When she sought assistance, they removed the jack and this poor woman peeled out unexpectedly, much to his delight.
After McCallie, Frank returned to Baton Rouge and continued his military training at LSU as a leader of the Pershing Rifles, a national society that aids in the development of officer candidates in the armed services. He was a proud Army veteran. He was also a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and a student leader at the Business School. He went on to earn his law degree from LSU and worked briefly at a local firm before deciding to join the family business, Kean’s Laundry and Dry Cleaners. He always liked to say he went from trying suits to cleaning them.
Frank went on to become the sole owner of Kean’s The Cleaner in 1986 until he sold it in 2003. In 1987, Frank partnered with his sister Mabyn and brother-in-law, Pat Shingleton, to found Pat’s Coats for Kids, a program that provided coats for kids who needed them, and it was one of his proudest achievements. After his retirement, Frank softened his transition from successful business owner with more than 200 employees and 20+ locations by becoming a volunteer mentor with the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce. He loved working with people at the beginning of their careers, helping craft their business plans and sharing his experiences and expertise.
Frank is pre-deceased by his parents, Frank Hugh Kean, Jr. and Emily Louise Mathews Kean and his first wife, Virginia Upton Kean, to whom he was married for 42 years. Frank is survived by his and Virginia’s children, Emily Nell Kean Berg (David) and Frank Hugh Kean IV; his grandchildren, Billy, Tommy and Hallie Berg; his wife, Karen Vannoy Shelton Kean, whom he married in 2010; her children Cheri Shelton Anderson (Ted), Suess Shelton and Wayne Shelton; and her grandchildren Jerry (Wynonna), Lloyd and Grace Anderson. He is also survived by his sisters Emily Virginia Kean and Mabyn Kean Shingleton and their families.
Visitation prior to his funeral will be Monday, Sept. 15 from 5-7pm at Rabenhorst Funeral Home on Government Street. A memorial service will be on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at First United Methodist Church on North Blvd. with Rev. Donald Cottrill presiding. Visitation at the church on Tuesday will be from 12:30pm until the service which begins at 2pm. There will be a private burial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you remember Frank with a donation to a charity of your choice.
