Mrs. Lucile Dennison Keenan

Lucile Dennison Keenan died on June 5, 2015, at the Willson Hospice House. She was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on April 14, 1918. Her parents were Hubert Eugene and Lucile McDade Dennison. She grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. In 1937 she graduated magna cum laude from Agnes Scott College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received an M.A. in history from Emory University in 1939 and worked for the National Youth Administration (NYA) until 1942. She received the Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law in 1947. Following her law studies she practiced as a staff attorney for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. On June 20, 1942 she married U.S. Army Air Corps Captain Jere A. Wells, Jr. He was killed in an airplane crash in May of 1943. On July 7, 1948, she married Paul Keenan, and she and her daughter Jere moved to Albany. Paul Keenan died on April 4, 2011. Lucile Keenan was a lively reader and a brilliant lover of learning. Her home is filled with books and reference works. She enjoyed her Great Books discussion group for many years. She was a lifetime board member of the Salvation Army and was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Daughters of the King, and NAMI Albany. In addition to her husbands, Lucile Keenan was predeceased by her cherished sister, Nancie Dianne (DD) Dennison. She is survived by her daughter Jere Wells Keenan Brands and her husband Harold of Albany, sons William Paul Keenan of Decatur, Alexander Stuart Keenan of Albany, and Dr. David Louis Keenan and his wife Kelly of Atlanta; grandchildren Ed Brands (Kerri Barnstuble), David Brands (Tracy) and Peter Brands (Kelly); John and Jean Keenan; Bill, Kyle, Caroline and Colleen Keenan; great-grandchildren Lucile Roze and Cyrus Paul Bransel. She is also survived by her sister, Jean Dennison Brooks, and her brother, Dr. David Dennison and wife Katharine, both of Atlanta; sisters-in- law Elena Wells Harrison of Atlanta and Dr. Carolyn Wells of Farmville, VA; brothers-in-law Dr. Robert Wells (Ruth West Wells) of Atlanta and Walter Keenan and his wife Mary of Albany, and numerous nieces and nephews. The family is grateful to the caregivers who enriched her life in her final years: Ora Lee Gadson, Doretha Dandy, Nethema Brown, Odessa Green, Molly Adams, Tina Hall, Barbara McDuffie, Wanda Murray, Phillis Williams, and Carolyn Allen. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI Albany, P.O.Box 72446, Albany, GA. 31708; The Episcopal Church of St. John and St. Mark, 2425 Cherry Laurel Lane, Albany, GA 31705; The Salvation Army, 308 W. 2nd Avenue, Albany, GA 31701. Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Mrs. Lucile Dennison Keenan

April 14, 1918 - June 5, 2015