October 16, 1931 – May 6, 2024
Don Keating was raised in Bay Ridge Brooklyn by his mom Catherine (Kitty) and Dad Timothy along with his elder siblings Bob and Dolores. It was in first grade where he first met Patricia, who would later become his wife of 71 years. He attended St Michael’s High School followed by St John’s University on academic scholarships. He became an officer in the Navy during the Korean war on his beloved Destroyer Escort, the Heyliger and much later retired from the Naval Reserves, having achieved the rank of Commander. He received his Masters degree from NYU while working and raising his family. His original interest was in journalism but he switched over to Personnel, where he had a successful career and retired as VP of Human Resources for Burndy Electronics.
Don and Pat were married in St Ephrem’s in 1953 and in 1960 joined the throngs of people moving ‘out to the island’, settling in Massapequa Park where they raised their family; Kevin (Cathy), Keith (Nancy) and Kerry (Patrick). Together, they have 8 grandchildren (Tara, Ryan, Kristen, Katelyn, Patrick, Carolyn, Michael and Kayla) and 8 great-grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews. He was an active member of St. Rose of Lima, serving as a volunteer in many capacities, including Principal of the CCD program, and later working with ‘his girls’, the retired nuns at the Dominican Motherhouse.
As a teen, he sold peanuts at Ebbetts Field, setting the stage to become an avid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and later the Mets and Giants. He loved spending time with family and friends (especially the kids), beer and cocktails on the front porch and traveling. His favorite place to be was out at the family bungalow in Southampton which he called ‘Paradise’.
The family would like to thank everyone for their support and express huge appreciation to the Feinstein Institute (where he was enrolled in a clinical trial for Alzheimer’s research) and to Good Shepherd Hospice who provided loving care during these last few months.
“Donald Francis Keating,” Massapequa Funeral Home, 7 May 2024. massapequafuneralhome.com/obituary/donald-francis-keating/. Accessed 28 May 2024.