Richard Joseph Keating

Richard Joseph (“Dick”) Keating, devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend went to his heavenly reward on Sunday, May 29, 2022 surrounded by his loving family in his home in Fulton, Maryland.  He was 90 years old.  The son of Irish immigrants, Michael Keating and Anna (McKeene) Keating, Richard was born on July 8, 1931 in New York, New York.  He is survived by his wife of 59 years, June (Rowan) Keating, their four children and their spouses/significant others:  Michael Keating (Kelly White Keating) of Ashton, MD; Catherine Goldin (Jonathan Goldin) of Fairhaven, NJ; June Keating DeCosta (Al DeCosta) of Osprey, FL , and Joseph Keating (Tiffany Lee) of Middleburg, VA; six grandchildren Morgan Keating, Kiley Keating, Ryan Keating, Rowan Goldin, Chloe Goldin and Grayson Goldin; and his sister Marge McGowan.  He is predeceased by his mother and father Michael and Anna Keating, his brothers George Keating and Jim Keating, and his sister Ethel Hodel.

Dick was a dedicated student and a man of letters, taking to heart the advice of his immigrant father that an education is the one thing no one can take away from you.  So Dick earned Bachelor’s, Masters and Ph.D. degrees with far more credits than necessary to graduate, while mastering the trumpet as well as many languages, which he comically combined into his own unique hybrid language comprising words from French, Italian, German, Russian, etc.  His linguistic ingenuity led to his frequent use of words not in the English language and that he completely made up, which no one quite understood but laughed at anyway.  Dick was at his most comically creative when giving friends and family alike new names that often bore no relation or similarity to actual names, all to get a laugh.  Dick’s sense of humor and ability to make everyone laugh was one of a kind, and often involved physical comedy that may have been part natural and part staged for effect, especially when it came to “fixing” things, which usually resulted in a hilariously bad repair attempt that made matters worse.

Dick had a long and successful career in many different fields including education, government, politics, public relations, and real estate, and worked with U.S. Presidents, Senators, Ambassadors, and other famous people like Jacques Cousteau, but Dick was always humble and joked that people often asked him of his pictures with famous people: “Who’s that in the picture with Dick Keating?”.  

Despite having a long and accomplished career that anyone would be extremely proud of, Dick cared far more about his family and friends, and gave selflessly of his time, attention and love.  Dick often used his keen intellect and vast professional and personal experience to help everyone he encountered and touched so many lives by assisting friends and family in so many ways including getting an education, buying a first home, or being hired or promoted.  The stories of Dick’s selflessness are many and exemplified by Dick’s being a favorite neighborhood Santa Claus for many years bringing joy at Christmas time to many families.

Simply put, Dick was the kindest, sweetest, and most loving person, and led an extraordinary life filled with love and laughter.      

The family will be having a private celebration of life to honor such a great man.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to your favorite charity in his name.

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