Obituary: William “Bill” J. Keogh Sr., 1930-2024 (2024)

Burlington, Vt., lost one of its most illustrious public servants on Monday, August 5, 2024, with the death of William “Bill” J. Keogh Sr.

Bill was 93 and had served Burlington in many capacities for more than 60 years, including 16 years on the city council and eight years in the Vermont legislature.

From the time he joined the city planning commission in 1970 to his final meeting with the airport commission in 2022, he had combed through thousands of pages of minutes and memos, attended hundreds of meetings, met with countless constituents, and helped craft critical legislation that will stand for years to come. Bill also served as Burlington’s park superintendent in the early 1960s, turning the failing North Beach and campsites into a profitable and vibrant recreation area.

Bill was born in Burlington and lived in Barre for several years before moving back to Burlington. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1948 and from Saint Michael’s College in 1952, then served in the U.S. Navy. He worked as a reporter for WCAX-TV for a short time and then took on a public relations post with the Vermont National Guard. After his stint as Burlington park superintendent, he worked as development director for the Society of St. Edmund in Mystic, Conn., then moved back to Vermont to work as executive director for the Associated General Contractors of Vermont in Montpelier.

But it was his dedication to public service that really defined Bill. “He did the job honestly, diplomatically and carefully,” former Burlington Free Press columnist John Briggs wrote. “He showed up on time for a very long time, seemingly always in a good mood … He is the man of the easy laugh with a selfless gift of service to the community.”

In Montpelier, Bill was most proud of his work helping to craft the Catamount health care plan for the state and coauthoring bills on medical marijuana and the state’s lemon law. In Burlington, he prided himself on his role in helping to unravel the Burlington Telecom morass. He took his share of barbs — being a stickler on Robert’s Rules of Orders or angering Burlington’s bar owners with his strict stance on alcohol regulations. But he always shrugged it off and kept on going.

Almost anyone in Burlington would see him around — with his distinctive white beard and neon-bright shirts — riding his bike with campaign signs on his back, donating at the Red Cross blood bank (he gave 32 gallons of blood in his lifetime), or training for the marathon he ran at age 60 (“I was the oldest and the slowest, but I was the proudest,” he’d say).

Or they might have seen him umpiring Little League baseball, attending Lake Monsters games or talking about the fantasy baseball camps he loved to attend. Baseball and more baseball was almost as important as golf and more golf. And then there’s basketball. He played into his eighties and was part of a team that competed in the Vermont Senior Games.

Or they may have seen him on TV — being interviewed by a local reporter or cohosting “Stump the Chumps,” a Burlington-focused call-in show.

But his greatest achievement, he would say, was his family, including his children, William Keogh Jr. of Venice, Fla.; Rosemary Keogh O’Neill of West Hartford, Conn.; Ellen Keogh Miner of Sarasota, Fla.; Timothy Keogh of South Burlington, Vt.; and Patrick Keogh of Fairfax, Vt.; and his longtime partner, Karen Mills, of South Burlington; his 10 grandchildren; and his four great-grandchildren. They all loved spending time with him on the lake at the family camps and on their pontoon boat.

Bill, if he were here, would probably approve this message. He would also want his friends and admirers to help celebrate his life at a reception on Saturday, August 17, 2 p.m., at the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center, on the waterfront at 505 Lake St., Burlington. In lieu of flowers, he’d ask that donations be sent to University of Vermont Home Health & Hospice to honor the wonderful caregivers who helped him in his final weeks at home.