Obituary
Mark Keen of The Villages, Florida, and formerly of West Hartford, Connecticut, died on Sunday, October 15, 2023 Mark was born on July 1, 1958, in Derby, England. He attended Repton Preparatory School at Foremarke in Derbyshire before moving to Palmdale, California with his parents, Mike and Val Keen, in 1971 Mark graduated high school from Staples in Westport, Connecticut, before attending the University of Hartford, where he attained his B.A. in Business Administration.
Mark then developed a career in Marketing with an emphasis on technology, most recently with Teletrac Navman. But for those that knew Mark well, it was his love of family, his sense of humor, his essential good nature that impressed: even as a baby Mark had the ability to bring a smile or a laugh to others just by beaming at them. Mark had little patience with deference and pomposity, whether that meant confidently engaging with a local BBC radio host, or, with the help of a friend who posed as the rock star’s agent, charming his way into a backstage Frank Zappa afterparty. Indeed, his loyalty as a family man and as a friend, his understated, frank charm, his lively presence and charisma, and that sense of humor, are what many of us will treasure in our memories of Mark.
Mark was married twice, first to Carol, mother to Lindsey and Stephanie and a firm friend through the years, and then to Toni, his great love and stead fast companion, and mother to Jacqueline. Mark and Toni spent many happy years together in West Hartford, Connecticut before moving to the Villages, Florida with two dogs in tow. Florida was ideal for the couple, who loved their life together in their new community, with its neighborhood pool, outdoor rock concerts, eateries, and bicycle trails. Mark was taken from us at a young age by today’s standards, but during his life he gave much to those he knew, those he cared about and who cared about him. His life with Toni, their love for each other, and Mark’s love for his friends and family are the gifts that Mark leaves behind.
Mark is predeceased by parents Michael and Valerie Keen, Uncle Christopher Keen, and grandparents Harry and Hilda Murfin, and Clifford and Millicent Keen. He is survived by his wife Toni, daughters Lindsey, Stephanie and Jacqueline, grandchildren Charlie, Quinn, Lou, and Freddie, his brother Nicholas and wife Joyce, his Aunt Judy, his cousins, especially Sarah and husband Mike, Tim and wife Sarah and Alex and wife Fionnula, and good friends Carol Keen and Jeff Lee, Dave and Donna Janik, Rick Bensco, Chris Champagne, Alison Clarke and Ken McGovern among many others. Online gifts in memory of Mark to the Alzheimer’s Foundation are appreciated and will assist those yet to suffer from this debilitating disease.
Leave a reply