Richard "Dick" Keehn

Service Details

A celebration of his life will be in the funeral home on June 15th at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery.

Richard “Dick” Keehn, 90, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away at the Aurora Medical Center on Monday, May 20, 2024.  He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on January 10, 1934, the son of the late Percy and Dorothy (nee: Grupe) Keehn.

Dick graduated from the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1956.  He then moved to Chicago, where he met the love of his life, Audrey DeWitz. They were married in Chicago on November 12, 1960.

Dick worked for 9 years in the Treasury Department of the United States Steel Corporation while also earning an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.  In 1965, they moved to Madison, WI where Dick received an M.A. and then his Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1972.  The Keehn’s settled in Racine, WI in 1969 when Dick got a job as a professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where he taught for 31 years, retiring in 2000.  His area of expertise was American economic history and the operations of financial institutions and markets.  He published numerous articles and monographs on these topics and their application in the local economy.  He was also a proponent of economic education in Wisconsin schools, conducting numerous seminars and workshops for area economics and social studies teachers.  He received the University’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award in Community Outreach Activity in 1977.

While having a successful career, family was at the heart of Dick’s life.  Audrey and Dick were inseparable throughout their sixty three plus years of marriage. Together they raised four children. One of their proudest achievements was seeing all four kids graduate from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Dick, along with his beloved wife, Audrey, enjoyed biking, wintering in LaQuinta, CA and their trips to Door County.  Sadly, Audrey preceded him in death on March 31, 2024.

Surviving are their four children, Stephen (Holly) Keehn, of El Dorado Hills, CA, Peter (Laura) Keehn, of Bethesda, MD, James (Kelly) Keehn, of Huntington Beach, CA, and Kathryn Keehn, of Chicago; five grandchildren, Matthew (Carter) Keehn, of Long Beach, CA, Sean Keehn, of El Dorado Hills, CA, Ned (Emma) Daryoush, of Potomac, MD, Josh (Connie) Daryoush, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Andrew Keehn, of Huntington Beach, CA; three great grandchildren, Ebi, Noor, and Charlotte; and sister-in-law, Kathy Keehn, of Portola Valley, CA. His nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends, also survive him.

In addition to his parents and beloved wife, Mr. Keehn was preceded in death by his sister, Carolyn Keehn, and two brothers, Bill and David Keehn.