KEEN, WILLIAM GEORGE, 94
Cookeville, TN - William George Keen, 94, retired from the U.S. Foreign Service, died in his sleep Friday July 13, 2007, at Morningside Assisted Living in Cookeville, Tenn., where he had lived for six weeks after relocating from Florida. The Tennessee native was a resident of Silver Springs, Fla., near Ocala since 1980 and earlier of Miami, where he worked for the U.S. Customs Service in a post-retirement role. During a colorful diplomatic career, he gave former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt a tour in Switzerland and showed actor John Wayne around in the Azores. A World War II veteran, he attended Officer Candidate School in Miami with actor Clark Gable. He was U.S. Consul in Genoa, Italy, in Zurich, Switzerland, in Ponta Delgada , Azores near Portugal , and finally in Port of Spain , Trinidad before retiring. The Huntsville, Tenn., native grew up in Chattanooga, where he was a business administration graduate of the University of Chattanooga, now UT Chattanooga. He took an examination to enter the Foreign Service, but WWII interrupted those plans. He served in the 8th and 9th Army Air Force as a first lieutenant. He was in the European Theatre of operations, flew missions as an observer and later was with the Air Force's Counter Intelligence Corps. After the war during German reconstruction he was a foreign service officer with the U.S. High Commissioner of Germany. He served as governor in several counties in Bavaria. He returned to America in 1951, was married that year to Lilly Wolfrum of Germany (who died in 1998), and with her began his consulate service abroad. His parents were Willard Keen of Scott County, Tenn., and Esther Walton Keen of the nearby 1880 English settlement Rugby, Tenn. He had fond memories of his adventures as a child at his grandmother's house in Rugby, Walton Court. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10208, the Ocala chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sigma Chi Fraternity and the 556h Bomb Squadron Association. Survivors include his stepson, Heinz Frischke of Germany, and nieces and nephews in Tennessee, Texas and California. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. August 17, 2007 at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ocala, Fla. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Historic Rugby Inc., P.O. Box 8, Rugby, TN 37733. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements (931)526-6111 www.hhhfunerals.com
Published in the Ocala Star-Banner from 7/17/2007 - 7/18/2007.
Cookeville, TN - William George Keen, 94, retired from the U.S. Foreign Service, died in his sleep Friday July 13, 2007, at Morningside Assisted Living in Cookeville, Tenn., where he had lived for six weeks after relocating from Florida. The Tennessee native was a resident of Silver Springs, Fla., near Ocala since 1980 and earlier of Miami, where he worked for the U.S. Customs Service in a post-retirement role. During a colorful diplomatic career, he gave former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt a tour in Switzerland and showed actor John Wayne around in the Azores. A World War II veteran, he attended Officer Candidate School in Miami with actor Clark Gable. He was U.S. Consul in Genoa, Italy, in Zurich, Switzerland, in Ponta Delgada , Azores near Portugal , and finally in Port of Spain , Trinidad before retiring. The Huntsville, Tenn., native grew up in Chattanooga, where he was a business administration graduate of the University of Chattanooga, now UT Chattanooga. He took an examination to enter the Foreign Service, but WWII interrupted those plans. He served in the 8th and 9th Army Air Force as a first lieutenant. He was in the European Theatre of operations, flew missions as an observer and later was with the Air Force's Counter Intelligence Corps. After the war during German reconstruction he was a foreign service officer with the U.S. High Commissioner of Germany. He served as governor in several counties in Bavaria. He returned to America in 1951, was married that year to Lilly Wolfrum of Germany (who died in 1998), and with her began his consulate service abroad. His parents were Willard Keen of Scott County, Tenn., and Esther Walton Keen of the nearby 1880 English settlement Rugby, Tenn. He had fond memories of his adventures as a child at his grandmother's house in Rugby, Walton Court. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10208, the Ocala chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sigma Chi Fraternity and the 556h Bomb Squadron Association. Survivors include his stepson, Heinz Frischke of Germany, and nieces and nephews in Tennessee, Texas and California. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. August 17, 2007 at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ocala, Fla. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Historic Rugby Inc., P.O. Box 8, Rugby, TN 37733. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements (931)526-6111 www.hhhfunerals.com
Published in the Ocala Star-Banner from 7/17/2007 - 7/18/2007.
KEEN, WILLIAM GEORGE, 94
Cookeville, TN - William George Keen, 94, retired from the U.S. Foreign Service, died in his sleep Friday July 13, 2007, at Morningside Assisted Living in Cookeville, Tenn., where he had lived for six weeks after relocating from Florida. The Tennessee native was a resident of Silver Springs, Fla., near Ocala since 1980 and earlier of Miami, where he worked for the U.S. Customs Service in a post-retirement role. During a colorful diplomatic career, he gave former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt a tour in Switzerland and showed actor John Wayne around in the Azores. A World War II veteran, he attended Officer Candidate School in Miami with actor Clark Gable. He was U.S. Consul in Genoa, Italy, in Zurich, Switzerland, in Ponta Delgada , Azores near Portugal , and finally in Port of Spain , Trinidad before retiring. The Huntsville, Tenn., native grew up in Chattanooga, where he was a business administration graduate of the University of Chattanooga, now UT Chattanooga. He took an examination to enter the Foreign Service, but WWII interrupted those plans. He served in the 8th and 9th Army Air Force as a first lieutenant. He was in the European Theatre of operations, flew missions as an observer and later was with the Air Force's Counter Intelligence Corps. After the war during German reconstruction he was a foreign service officer with the U.S. High Commissioner of Germany. He served as governor in several counties in Bavaria. He returned to America in 1951, was married that year to Lilly Wolfrum of Germany (who died in 1998), and with her began his consulate service abroad. His parents were Willard Keen of Scott County, Tenn., and Esther Walton Keen of the nearby 1880 English settlement Rugby, Tenn. He had fond memories of his adventures as a child at his grandmother's house in Rugby, Walton Court. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10208, the Ocala chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sigma Chi Fraternity and the 556h Bomb Squadron Association. Survivors include his stepson, Heinz Frischke of Germany, and nieces and nephews in Tennessee, Texas and California. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. August 17, 2007 at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ocala, Fla. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Historic Rugby Inc., P.O. Box 8, Rugby, TN 37733. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements (931)526-6111 www.hhhfunerals.com
Published in the Ocala Star-Banner from 7/17/2007 - 7/18/2007.
Cookeville, TN - William George Keen, 94, retired from the U.S. Foreign Service, died in his sleep Friday July 13, 2007, at Morningside Assisted Living in Cookeville, Tenn., where he had lived for six weeks after relocating from Florida. The Tennessee native was a resident of Silver Springs, Fla., near Ocala since 1980 and earlier of Miami, where he worked for the U.S. Customs Service in a post-retirement role. During a colorful diplomatic career, he gave former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt a tour in Switzerland and showed actor John Wayne around in the Azores. A World War II veteran, he attended Officer Candidate School in Miami with actor Clark Gable. He was U.S. Consul in Genoa, Italy, in Zurich, Switzerland, in Ponta Delgada , Azores near Portugal , and finally in Port of Spain , Trinidad before retiring. The Huntsville, Tenn., native grew up in Chattanooga, where he was a business administration graduate of the University of Chattanooga, now UT Chattanooga. He took an examination to enter the Foreign Service, but WWII interrupted those plans. He served in the 8th and 9th Army Air Force as a first lieutenant. He was in the European Theatre of operations, flew missions as an observer and later was with the Air Force's Counter Intelligence Corps. After the war during German reconstruction he was a foreign service officer with the U.S. High Commissioner of Germany. He served as governor in several counties in Bavaria. He returned to America in 1951, was married that year to Lilly Wolfrum of Germany (who died in 1998), and with her began his consulate service abroad. His parents were Willard Keen of Scott County, Tenn., and Esther Walton Keen of the nearby 1880 English settlement Rugby, Tenn. He had fond memories of his adventures as a child at his grandmother's house in Rugby, Walton Court. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10208, the Ocala chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sigma Chi Fraternity and the 556h Bomb Squadron Association. Survivors include his stepson, Heinz Frischke of Germany, and nieces and nephews in Tennessee, Texas and California. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. August 17, 2007 at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ocala, Fla. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Historic Rugby Inc., P.O. Box 8, Rugby, TN 37733. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home in charge of arrangements (931)526-6111 www.hhhfunerals.com
Published in the Ocala Star-Banner from 7/17/2007 - 7/18/2007.
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