William Thomas Keyes Jr.'s Obituary
The family of William Thomas Keyes, Jr. (“Billy”) is heartbroken to share that Bill passed away on May 9, 2019 after a brief and courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 29, 1964 to William Thomas Keyes, Sr. and Martha Diane (Zaroff) Keyes. Bill was a talented air conditioning and refrigeration technician, and was also an auto mechanic.
Bill was quite the handyman and a jack of all trades. There was nothing that he could not fix or build. He had a heart of gold, and whenever anyone asked him for help, he tried his best to do as much as he could. If he wasn’t sure how to do it, he refused to stop until he figured it out. He also absolutely loved to cook and bake. He was very meticulous with his recipes and preparation, and he genuinely enjoyed sharing his amazing culinary creations with his family and friends. His friends would tell you that they have rarely had a friend more true than Billy, and that he made them feel safe and cared about.
Bill was preceded in death by his father, Bill Sr. Left here to treasure Bill's memory are his mother, Marty Keyes-Sherotski (Ed); siblings Marty Keyes-Goodemote (Ed), Dee Crawford (John), and John Keyes (Debra); children Danielle Keyes, Anthony Keyes (Jennifer), and Dustin Cochran (Lendi); aunt, Kathy McMaster, and loving partner Connie Baughman. Bill also had five grandchildren (Cloey, AJ, and Brinlee Keyes, and Paige and Chloe Cochran) and three nephews and a niece (Tim Keyes, Jared van Hoek [Angela], Christopher Crawford [Elizabeth], and Kylie Keyes).
Bill was baptized and confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church. A funeral mass will be celebrated for Bill at 11:00am on Wednesday May 29th, 2019 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 501 East Carter Road, Lakeland, Florida 33813. The mass will be followed by a celebration of life luncheon reception in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, Bill would be honored to have donations in his name to the American Cancer Society or to Good Shepherd Hospice.
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