(Veteran)

James Keenan Dies After Illness; Had Serves as County Corner

Former acting Douglas County Coroner James P. Keenan died Thursday after a long illness, former Douglas County Attorney Donald Knowles said.

Knowles, who appointed Keenan to the acting coroner position in 1972, said he was told of the death by a family member. Keenan was 73.

Keenan, of 1818 Martha St., worked as a counselor at Boys Town for 25 years before accepting the coroner position. He taught business law at Creighton University for 32 years, seven while working as acting coroner, before leaving in 1979. For most of that time, he worked both at Creighton and at Boys Town.

In 1981, Keenan was selected as an honorary member of Creighton University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma u, the national Jesuit honorary society.

Born in Minnesota, he attended St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minn. In 1933, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked on erosion-control projects on farms. He joined the Army in 1938, serving six years, then entered the Creighton University School of Law.

Keenan received his law degree in 1947, but never worked in that profession.

Keenan succeeded George Sullivan as acting county coroner. Sullivan had served in the position for 25 years.

Keenan is survived by his wife, Carol, and six children --- Charles, Nora Jean, Mary Kay, Anne, Eileen Marie and Jerry.

The rosary for Keenan will be recited at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1404 Castelar St. The funeral service will be Monday at 9 a.m. at the church.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~