Mrs. Mary Chazal Keenan

KIMBRELL-STERN OBITIUARY Mary Chazal Keenan died December 11, 2015 at her home in Albany, Ga. Her funeral mass will be held at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 19. Interment at Crown Hill Cemetery will follow the service. Mrs. Keenan was born in Monroe Memorial Hospital in Ocala, FL to Hester Dewey Chazal and Charles Phillip Chazal on July 5, 1919. She attended Blessed Trinity Academy for early schooling and then Ocala High School. Mrs. Keenan later graduated from Florida State College for Women, where she was a Pi Beta Phi. She attended Cornell Graduate School for Dietetics at New York Hospital in New York City. She first worked in Spartanburg, SC before taking a job in Lake City, FL as a Dietitian at the U.S. Naval Station. It was there she met Naval Ensign, Walter R. Keenan and it was love at first sight for both of them. They were married on November 7, 1944 in Ocala, FL and then drove to Mountain View, California where Walter was stationed. They returned to Albany at the end of World War II. They moved to Moultrie for five years where their first two children were born and then moved back to Albany. After her last child went off to college, Mrs. Keenan became a successful Real Estate Agent who was a member of the Million Dollar Realtors Club. She was active with Great Books and especially St. Teresa’s School, as all her children attended there. She also played Bridge with the “same” girls for 64 years. Mrs. Keenan was a member of St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, Charity League, Garden Club and Merry Makers. She loved being outdoors, swimming, boating, traveling and fishing. (In Alaska, she once caught a 47 pound salmon with a lightweight spinning outfit at the age of 80.) She is survived by her husband of 71 years, Walter R. Keenan; children, Patrick Joseph Keenan of Ashville, NC, Anne Elizabeth (Analee) Keenan of Boston, MA, Michael Chazal Keenan (Sue) of Albany, GA, Mary Meurisse Richardson of Herndon, VA, Mark Dewey Keenan (Meg) of San Carlos, CA; five grandchildren, Jesse Keenan of New York, NY, Nathan Keenan (Lindsey) of Blue Lake, CA, Andrew Richardson of Boston, MA, Julie Richardson of Herndon, VA, Dominick Keenan of San Carlos, CA; one step-grandson, Eric Griswold (Natalie) of Marietta, GA; brother, Dick Chazal (Marjorie) of Ocala, FL and sister Polly Mundee of Albany, GA. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Keenan was preceded in death by her sister, Jeanne Chazal and son-in-law, Tom Richardson. A prayer service will be held at 6:30 PM on Friday, December 18th at Kimbrell-Stern with a visitation to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family desires that donations be made in her honor to St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, Willson Hospice House or your favorite charity. To sign our online guest registry or share a memory with the Keenan family, please visit our website at www.kimbrellstern.com

Mrs. Mary Chazal Keenan

July 5, 1919 - December 11, 2015