July 18, 2018

CHARLES KEOWN

1924 – 2018

Career architect and engineer who enjoyed spending time at Lake Hopatcong with his family Charles Ray Keown of Mt. Arlington, N.J., passed away quietly at home on Friday, March 16, 2018, at the age of 93.

Ray’s Life Celebration was held on Wednesday, March 21, from 2 to 6 p.m. with a Prayer Service  at the Leber-Lakeside Funeral Home, 150 Landing Road, Landing, N.J. For further information and to share a fond memory of Ray, please visit www.leberlakeside.com

Ray was born on Dec. 23, 1924, at the home of his parents, Roy and Evelyn Keown in Douglasville, Ga. His family later moved to New Jersey where he finished high school in Belleville, N.J. Shortly after graduation he joined the Army and was deployed to England to prepare for and participate in the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. He served in France and Belgium until the war ended.

After his discharge from the Army, he attended Georgia Tech studying architecture and engineering. He became a registered architect in several states and a professional engineer in New Jersey. He had his own practice for many years. During that time he met and married the love of his life, the late Kathleen Ryan of Belleville and she gave him two sons, Mark and Steven, who gave them six wonderful grandchildren and seven fantastic great-grandchildren. Sadly, Kathleen passed away just a few days before their 67th anniversary.

Ray was an avid golfer. He belonged to the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., for many years and served on the board of trustees. He was also a member of the American Institute of Architect’s golf team that played the Royal Institute of British Architects at courses in the British Isles and the USA.  He was active in the New Jersey Society of Architects, served on the Little Falls school board and Shade Tree Commission, was chairman of the Cub Scouts and was active in the Boy Scouts and Little League. He was also on the board of directors of a savings bank for many years.

He spent his last years near the shores of Lake Hopatcong where he enjoyed fishing, boating. and his wonderful family whom he adored so much. He often said, “How can anyone be so blessed.” For memorial donations, please consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Shriners Hospital for Children.

By AIANJ | Posted in AIA-NJ News | Tagged: Charles Keown, In Memoriam | Comments (0)