James Richard Keeney

James Richard Keeney passed away on December 21, 2023, at the age of 79 in Palos Heights, Illinois, after an almost eight-year journey with Alzheimer’s. Upon learning about his diagnosis, he commented, “I am doing OK. I knew it was coming with my Dad and his five brothers all having it. It just is.” That equanimity came from reflecting on a life well-lived with his wife of 54 ½ years, Jean, always at his side. Early on Jim also talked about how he thought his dementia would be tougher on Jean than him. He wished that he would have had the power to make her journey as caregiver emotionally and physically easier.

After six years of faithfully taking care of Jim, Jean placed Jim in a memory care facility. While there were lots of tears and feelings of grief that come from entering yet another stage in the Alzheimer’s journey, this placement allowed Jean to focus on her role as wife. Now his constant lunch companion rather than a full-time caregiver, Jean began to find joy in the simple pleasures of spending time with Jim: walks in the courtyard, siting in the sun, watching TV, listening (and laughing) at his increasingly less accurate storytelling and reminisces, holding his hand, scratching his back, playing music, and singing off-key to him. Jim also enjoyed frequent visits from his brother–in-law, Mike Murdoch, who enjoyed walking with him and simply sitting quietly with him.

Born in Chicago in 1944 to Chester and Lucille Keeney. Jim and his younger sister Sandy grew up in Midlothian where he attended Springfield School, Bremen High School and Thornton Community College. Jim always spoke fondly of his father’s tradition of treating the family to White Castle every payday, as well as time riding along with him in the cab of his truck as they crisscrossed his delivery routes.

After Thornton, Jim attended Northern Illinois University in De Kalb where he majored in mathematics and earned a high school teaching certificate. Jim met Jean his senior year and quickly fell for this Sociology and French major who was also pursuing a teaching certificate. Both Jean and Jim will laughingly tell you that if it had not been for Jim’s patient tutoring in statistics, Jean might still be a NIU student trying to pass that last requirement for graduation! Jim and Jean married in June 1969 two years after Jean graduated from NIU. They had their son, Ryan, in 1975.

Jim started working in 1968 at Hillcrest High School teaching Math at all levels, though geometry was his favorite. He also coached girls’ and boys’ tennis, Mathletes and Scholastic Bowl. He also spent much of his teaching/coaching career at Oak Forest High School. For five years of his 34-year career, he drove into Chicago one night a week to take graduate classes at Loyola University, earning his MBA. A believer in the importance of organized labor, he belonged to the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association where he served in various school district and statewide leadership roles.

Every summer, Jim and Jean (with Ryan in tow) spent the summer road tripping, often in concert with the annual NEA convention. They always bookended the convention with exploration, seeking out museums, cultural experiences, and National Parks. One thing they did not do was tent camp as a family -for Jean, camping included a trailer with a mattress, shower, and kitchen. After Ryan left home, every summer Jim and his good friend, Bob Moffitt, went out West for two to three weeks of hiking, backpacking, canoeing, rafting, kayaking and all-around adventuring.

Jim shared that love of the outdoors with Ryan, volunteering with Ryan’s Cub Scout and Boy Scout Troops and attending Philmont Scout Ranch High Adventure Base with him. Jim also shared his love of the outdoors with his two grandsons, Connor and Finnegan. He taught Finnegan how to fish and spent hours watching birds with Connor. Grandpa and grandsons loved walks through the Cook County Forest preserve, as well as watching nature documentaries.

After retiring from teaching, Jim and Jean bought a series of increasingly bigger RV’s and continued their tradition of summer road trips and added on spring and fall ones, too! The only thing Jim liked more than traveling and outdoor adventuring was meticulously researching and planning trips for their motorhome friends. Jim and Jean enjoyed attending the Holiday Rambler rallies throughout the country with their traveling friends. In the winter, they spent their winters in The Villages, Florida. While escaping Chicago’s cold and snow, Jim spent his time golfing, playing Masters tennis, pickleball and bocce.

With his son in the United States Air Force, Jim proudly wore Air Force t-shirts and put “AF Dad” stickers on his golf cart and SUV. Jim loved to stay current on Air Force news, and subscribed to the Air Force Times just so he could discuss the headlines with Ryan whenever they spoke. Jim loved seeing Ryan’s latest aircraft up close and listening to him explain its capabilities and weapons load. With every base, Jim picked out a new Air Force t-shirt and proudly wore it. Jim’s self-appointed job every time the Air Force stationed Ryan somewhere new, was to grab the hammer and tape measure and meticulously plot-out the hanging of the pictures: nothing could be “eye-balled,” precise math was always required. He also took it upon himself to cut the grass, weed, plant, rake and beautify every yard.

While Jim would spend hours doing outside chores taking loving care of the lawn, bushes and flowers no matter the weather, the one thing that could draw him into the kitchen was a request from his grandsons for his shrimp pasta. Made with a delicious homemade alfredo sauce, preschool-aged Connor and Finnegan did not even mind all of the snow peas, mushrooms, and broccoli that were snuck into the dish. So raise a plate of shrimp pasta (or a glass) to Jim Keeney tonight: an extraordinarily kind and wonderful son, husband, father, teacher and grandpa.

Jim is survived by his wife Jean, son Ryan, daughter-in-law Aimee, grandsons Connor and Finnegan, sister Sandy and in-laws: Mary Pellizzaro, Cathy Murdoch, Barbara Knierim, Phil Knierim, Maureen Bradford, Ray Bradford and Michael Murdoch, as well as many dear nieces and nephews.

Friends and family will gather for a memorial visitation for James that will be held on Thursday, June 6th, 2024, at Orland Funeral Home, 9900 West 143rd Street, Orland Park, IL 60462 from 3PM - 8PM. A memorial mass will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 9300 West 167th Street, Orland Hills, IL 60487, on Friday, June 7th, 2024 at 10 AM, followed by a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center or Arden Courts - ProMedica Memory Care Community in Palos Heights.