Larry Dale Keeling

Larry Dale Keeling, 71, husband of Beth Keeling, passed away on Monday, October 29, 2018. Larry was born in Washington County on May 5, 1947 to the late Elmer Pascal and Ida Elizabeth Keeling. He wrote for the Herald-Leader from Sept. 27, 1974 to Nov. 7, 2015, when he retired. During his years at the paper, Keeling was a reporter, editorial writer and columnist. Known for his crusty comments in his columns and blogs, Keeling once wrote under the moniker “Kentucky Curmudgeon.” Keeling received a bachelor’s degree in 1969 from the University of Kentucky’s journalism honors program. He worked for two years on the UK student newspaper, The Kentucky Kernel, as a reporter and assistant managing editor. He liked to tell people he was a 1965 graduate of the old Willisburg High School. His late mother, Elizabeth G. Keeling, was Willisburg’s postmaster. After UK, Keeling joined the U.S. Air Force in May 1969. He was honorably discharged in May 1972 as a first lieutenant. His military career included stints at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, Griffis Air Force Base in New York and in Taiwan. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Sarah Elizabeth Wilson, Bowling Green, and Catherine Cayce Wilson, Louisville; his sister, Geraldine “Gerry” Twar, TX; and a special nephew and niece, Patrick Schmidt, and Beth Bersot. Services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bluegrass Care Navigators.