Obituary of J. Walter Keady

J. Walter Keady Jr. "Walt" joined the Lord on July 2, 2013. He will be remembered for his larger-than-life persona, quick wit, bright smile and warm-hearted listening manner. Walt was born on November 27, 1926 in Syracuse, NY to John Walter and Nellie (Meagher) Keady. His sisters Angela and Eleanor soon followed. The family moved to Ridgewood, NJ and Walt graduated from Mount Carmel Grammar School and Saint Luke's High School. At Saint Luke's, Walt made life-long friends and excelled at basketball, making school history by being named Bergen County high scoring player his junior and senior years. An excerpt from the Bergen Evening Record at the time noted his achievements: "…as a reward for his outstanding court play, Keady has been named to various All County, Conference and All State Teams. He was headed for Holy Cross this fall but the call to service changed his plans." He served in the Navy aboard the USS Hancock in 1945. After the war, he graduated from Manhattan College. Walt married Mary Kennedy of Ridgewood at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on October 2, 1954. Together, with God's help, they raised 6 children in the home they built on Nottingham Road in Ramsey. Nothing was more important to Walt than his family. He is survived by his devoted wife, Mary, and his sister, Eleanor Askins. He will be forever missed and loved by his children Claire, Kevin (Barbara), Kathleen, John Walter (Mary), Christopher (Kathleen) and Mary Carroll (John) and his grandchildren, Oliver, Elizabeth, James, Charlie, Regan, Christopher Jr., Patrick, Michaela, Connor, Sumer and Sarah Keady and Olivia, Harry, Maggie and Frankie Pfeiffer and 6 nieces and nephews. An avid sports fan, coach and participant, Walt was a season ticket holder for the NY Giants, played countless early morning rounds of golf at Ramsey Golf and Country Club and coached all three of his sons on the Eagles baseball team. Not willing to leave the basketball court, Walt coached his grandson, Oliver, in basketball for four years at Mahwah Park and Recreation. Walt was a Certified Financial Planner for Investors Diversified Services and Ameriprise Financial. He reluctantly retired at 78. He was predeceased by his parents and sister, Angela. Walt's family welcomes you to pay your last respects on Monday July 8th at Vander Platt Funeral Home (www.vpfh.com) at 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, N.J. from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at the St Paul RC Church, 200 Wyckoff Avenue, Ramsey, NJ at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday July 9th. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Parkinson Research Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018 or the St Paul RC Church Eucharistic Ministry Team.