William E. Keish

William “Bill” Ewing Wilson Keish, age 84, passed away surrounded by family on November 1, 2025 in Charlottesville, VA. Bill was born June 6, 1941 on Governors Island, NY as the only child to father Col. William John Ewing Keish and mother Winnifred Wilson Keish.

Growing up in a military family, Bill was raised around the world. As the child of the Post Commander and U.S. Provost Marshal, chief of the constabulary forces in Europe after the Second World War, from a young age, Bill was expected to keep up in conversations with the officers that passed through his living room. Early literacy in military strategy and tactics led to a lifelong passion for military history and the mechanics of firearms. It didn’t matter what war, what country, what era. Bill knew all about it and always wanted to know more.

Bill attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri before enlisting in the Army. During his six years of active duty, Bill attended the University of Maryland. He continued to serve in the Army Reserves, where he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant. Simultaneously, he worked as a civilian military intelligence analyst with the Department of Defense. Bill held many positions that called on his expertise in command, control, and communications, notably as a Russian analyst both stateside and abroad, and retired from the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville as a Branch Chief for the Middle East.

Bill’s own international upbringing led him to instill his same cultural curiosity in his two sons from his first marriage. His role in the Department of Defense enabled his family to live in Germany for five years from 1978 to 1983. This period, combined with his childhood and a period of active duty with the Special Forces, gave him a total of 17 years of living in Bremerhaven, Augsburg and Bad Tölz, Germany. There, he exposed his kids to culture, language, and people.

As a father, Bill was invested in traveling and showing his children the world. If there was a castle, fort, church, or cathedral, they would be there. Bill was insistent that they not just sightsee, but learn and appreciate the historical significance and human connection everywhere they went. Even years later, as grandchildren studied or worked abroad, he always had a recommendation for a historical location to visit and an eagerness to compare notes and experiences.

His sons remember their father’s skills in skiing, hiking, camping, and pinecone throwing in the pinecone wars they had with their German family friends, the Erdhofers. His wife, Meg, remembers his playful nature and the ever-present twinkle in his eye. His colleagues, some of whom called him “mother,” remember his fiercely protective nature: the way he invested in, mentored, and welcomed in family—both biological and found. His grandchildren remember his unbridled support. Regardless of how much he knew about their interests—from running track to photography to Marine Corps service to social activism to writing books—he was their biggest cheerleader. Always listening and always full of advice, Bill was a rock. Bill’s generous spirit and curious nature live on in everyone he encountered.

Bill and his wife Meg Keish were married May 17th 1997 in Morristown, NJ, and remained devoted to each other up until his death. The two of them lived, worked, laughed, hosted, and retired in Charlottesville, VA, where their home was always open to friends and family and bellies were always full. Bill was active with the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Forty & Eight. He was also a Commissioner for The Boy Scouts of America, an election official in Arlington, VA, and Stony Point, VA, and a precinct captain for Stony Point, VA.

Bill Keish is survived by his wife Meg Nicholas Keish and her family who adored him; sons Chris Moore-Keish (and wife Martha) and Gregory Keish (and wife Victoria); and beloved grandchildren, Miriam (and spouse Pono), Fiona, Alseny, McCarley, and Liam. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Disabled American Veterans at www.dav.org or Blue Ridge Area Food Bank at P.O. Box #937 Verona, VA 24482.