Mr William T Keating

William Thomas Keating, Sr., 90, died peacefully surrounded by loving family on June 12, 2023. He was a Chicago native and longtime resident of Lillian, AL. He was a beloved husband, father, and treasured friend to many. Bill had a full and wonderful life. He was unfailingly upbeat and always found the joy and humor in every situation. He enjoyed bowling, dancing, and traveling with his devoted wife Marilyn. He was a lover of all things beautiful and spent many hours meticulously landscaping and grooming his yard. He was an avid reader and an ardent Bama football fan. Bill was born December 22, 1932 in Chicago, IL to Marie Kelliher and Francis Borgia Keating. He was the youngest of four siblings, with three sisters, Marie, Joanne, and Alice. He graduated from Loyola Academy and attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa for two years and majored in English. He went into the Navy and served for two years on the USS Salisbury Sound. He visited many ports of call including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Korea. He met his first wife Lue Anne Jungwirth Keating in Chicago and had three children, Ann Marie Franz (Tim Franz and daughter Haley, and children Nicole, Alison, and Ryan Lambert from a previous marriage), William Thomas Keating, Jr. (Angela Ardo’n and daughter Valerie Paige Keating), and Jennifer Susan Keating (sons Riley and Maxwell Quinlan). He was a district manager in sales in Massachusetts and then transferred to Illinois. He met his second wife Mary Evelyne Davis in Chicago. He left Armstrong Tool to become a self-employed artist. He spent most of his adult life as an artist creating one-of-a-kind bronze sculptures. His sculpture was featured in the movie “Wolf of Wall Street” (although he did not like the movie at all). He won many juried awards for his art. His sculptures can be found in buildings in Chicago along the Magnificent Mile and in libraries as well as other public spaces and private collections. He moved to Lillian in 1974. He completed many large, commissioned pieces and traveled all over the country showing, selling, and installing his work. Years after Mary passed away, he married Marilyn Davis, widow of the late Bill Davis, in 1995. He was a father figure to Marilyn’s four children from her previous marriage: William Addison Davis III (Judy Dash Davis and son Christopher, and daughter Janet Davis Gignilliat by a previous marriage), Robert Brooks Davis (Karen Collins Davis and daughter Evelyne), Wyatt Randall Davis (Kelly Potts Davis and children Justin and Ashley), and Helen Davis Viles (Danny Viles and sons Daniel Brooks and James Marion, and daughters Katy and Vawn by previous marriages.) He is also survived by numerous great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews on both sides.

Mr William T Keating

December 22, 1932 - June 12, 2023