Ellyn V. V. Keating

Ellyn V. V. Keating, devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother, and follower of Jesus Christ, passed away on November 26, 2025 at the Smith’s Mill Health Center in New Albany, OH, at the age of 94. She was born on June 7, 1931 in Hawthorne, NJ to the late Albert and Sophia VanVlaanderen. She attended Hawthorne schools and graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1949. She then attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, where she met her beloved husband, David J. Keating. They married on March 17, 1951.

Ellyn was a devoted and talented homemaker. She cherished and supported her husband and her children and created a warm and welcoming home. She was a gifted cook and hostess who made entertaining look easy. Ellyn periodically worked in retail sales, and when she became an empty-nester, she worked as a secretary/receptionist for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.

Ellyn and her husband, Dave, moved over a dozen times in their 70-year marriage as Dave’s occupations - first in the U.S. Air Force, and then in his position with the oil and gas division of Dow Chemical - ushered them to many different places, including San Antonio, TX; Columbus, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Albion, MI; Fairfield, IL; Henderson, KY; Mt. Carmel, IL; and, Westerville, OH. Ellyn resided in Westerville, OH since 1979, most recently at Inniswood Village. Wherever she lived, Ellyn created a home and established meaningful friendships.

Ellyn enjoyed music and singing and often sang in the church choir. As a teenager, Ellyn sang with Jack Wyrtzen’s Word of Life youth ministries, which broadcast live radio programs from Madison Square Garden in NYC in the 1940’s. Ellyn also enjoyed doing counted cross-stitch, camping (for the sake of her husband, when she was young), and family vacations at the New Jersey Shore, which held a special place in her heart. She cherished time spent with family and friends. A woman of faith, Ellyn was also a member of Central College Presbyterian Church in Westerville.

Even when some memories lost their sharp edges, Ellyn could always recite Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Ellyn is survived by a sister, Claire Beaumont of Round Rock, TX ; son, Van Keating (Laura); daughter, Dana Keating-Marziale (Arthur); grandson, Cameron West (Bethany); great grandchildren (Cameron James and Isabelle). Ellyn was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 70 years, David J. Keating; two brothers, Robert and Archibald VanVlaanderen; and, her parents, Albert and Sophia VanVlaanderen.

Family will receive friends from 11:00am-12:30pm, on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at SCHOEDINGER NORTHEAST, 1051 E. Johnstown Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230, with a funeral service to follow at 12:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Central College Presbyterian Church, 975 South Sunbury Road, Westerville, OH 43081

https://pushpay.com/g/ccpcoh,

Or to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:

https://giving.billygraham.org/honor-memorial/.