Obituary for Thomas Keenan Thomas Victor Keenan (“Tom”), 94, died on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at Mercy Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri with his family at his bedside. Born on January 31, 1924 in Hartford Connecticut, Tom graduated from Hartford Public High School in 1942. During World War II, Tom served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific.
As a result of the G.I. Bill, Tom attended Providence College and graduated in 1949. In 1952, Tom graduated from Boston University with a Master’s degree in Education and worked for the Hartford Public Schools for over 30 years as a teacher and administrator at the Burns School, Bulkeley High School, HPHS Annex, and HPHS. He retired as a Vice Principal in 1986.
Tom was a fine athlete throughout his life. He played varsity football and baseball in high school. In 2004, Tom was inducted into the Hartford Public High School Sports Hall of Fame.
After his discharge from the Navy Tom pitched for Lenny’s York Tavern teams in the Hartford Twilight League, and in 1946 and 1947 Lenny’s YT won the League Championship. After graduating from Providence College, Tom was signed by the Detroit Tigers and played professional baseball in the Detroit Tigers’ Minor League from 1949 to 1951. He was a resident of Old Wethersfield for 59 years.
He travelled to Saint Louis in 2017 to be closer to his family. Tom was a devoted communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Wethersfield and a long-time member of the Sacred Heart Men’s Club. He was proud of his Irish heritage and enjoyed hearing “Danny Boy”.
Tom was predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Bertha (Molak) and his brothers William and James. Tom is survived by his children, Dr. Kathleen Bucholz (Dr. Richard Bucholz) of Saint Louis, Margaret Keenan (Michele Long) of Randolph, MA and Thomas Keenan of Greensboro, NC. He also leaves five grandchildren, Dr. Elizabeth Bucholz (David Rasch), Dr. Eleanor Bucholz, Ethan Bucholz (Catherine), Lucy Keenan, Joey Keenan and three great-grandchildren, Clayton, Austin and Genevieve Rasch as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
There will be no calling hours. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in Sacred Heart Church, 56 Hartford Avenue, Wethersfield, CT 06109 at 10 AM on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Tom’s name may be made to the Wethersfield Historical Society, 150 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109.
Tom’s funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Road, Wethersfield. To extend online condolences, share a memory, and /or light a memorial candle, please visit farleysullivan.com.
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