William E. Keeling, 78, of Athens, AL saw Jesus’ face for the first time Sunday, January 10, 2016. He had endured a lengthy stay at UAB Hospital in Birmingham following an aneurism surgery. During those days he was cared for and comforted by his wife, Jean, and various other family members and friends. Buddy was born June 23, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, to the late William H. Keeling and Mildred Kyser Keeling. He was an Aggie, arriving at Texas A & M University in the fall of 1955 to begin his studies in electrical engineering. He joined the corps of cadets as a member of A Company Ordinance. Upon receiving his degree in 1960, Mr. Keeling was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Following graduation Buddy moved to Huntsville, Alabama and went to work for Redstone Arsenal. Later that year he reported for active duty in the Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. After basic training Mr. Keeling was reassigned back to Redstone Arsenal for the remainder of his military service. At Redstone he primarily worked as an electrical engineer in the project office for the Pershing ballistic missile. This included travels to the White Sands Missile Range in support of development tests for this missile system. The Pershing project also took him to Germany on numerous occasions. Later in his career he was involved in development work for the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed in the mainstream media as “Star Wars”. He retired from Redstone Arsenal in 1995. Upon retirement, he enjoyed several years of travel with his wife Jean, and picked up some strong hobbies and interests. He collected and assembled model trains, would talk at length about guns and weapons, and enjoyed researching genealogies. He was brilliant intellectually and always surprised his family at the amount of information that he retained on everything from military and weapons to politics and history. More than any of the interesting stories he told, he delighted to speak of his memories with his grandchildren. Buddy was a member of Athens First Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Gaylyn Hintz Keeling. Buddy is survived by his wife, Jean Keeling; daughter, Katharine Spann and husband, Leighton, of Starkville, MS; sons, James “Jim” Keeling and wife, Donna, of Huntsville, AL and David Keeling of Clarksdale, WV; stepson, Tony Teichmiller and wife, Penny, of Fultondale, AL; step daughter, Gina Leigh Kirkland and husband, Steve, of Hendersonville, NC; 13 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at Hampton Cove Funeral Home located at 6262 US-431, Owens Crossroads, AL 35763 on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 12pm. Visitation will precede the service, from 11:00am-12:00pm. Brother Larry Hicks officiating. Burial will follow at Maple Hill Cemetery. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in William “Buddy” Keeling’s honor. There has been a fund set up in his honor at the following link. https://giftfunds.stjude.org/BuddyKeeling
