William "Bill" Keegan

            William (Bill) Edward Keegan, 71, of Roseville passed away after battling cancer on February 13, 2022. The eldest of three children, Bill was born in San Francisco on September 22, 1950 to Richard and Elizabeth Keegan. Bill is survived by his dear wife of 22 years, Cathy (Wiley), his children Kelly Keegan and Lindsey Keegan, his sisters Janet Black (Larry) and Lynda Duffy (Dean) and many loving cousins, nieces and nephews.

            Moving to Mt. View/Los Altos in 1954, Bill attended St. Joseph Elementary School, Bellarmine College Preparatory, UCSD and graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco.

            A member of National Association of Steel Pipe Distribution, Bill was a successful salesman in the Steel and Pipe industry. He had a long and illustrious professional career, beginning with Kaiser Steel in the mid 70’s. He continued with Nevada Tank and Casing, Republic Supply Co. and Skyline Steel. His professional journey took him from Oakland to LA and subsequently on to Reno, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Atlanta, and ultimately back to Sacramento where he enjoyed retirement. Bill was renowned in the industry and considered an expert in the sale of Pipe and Piling. Throughout his forty plus years in the Steel business, Bill made many professional acquaintances that resulted in lifelong friendships.

            To follow in his father’s footsteps, Bill was a loyal Rotarian for more than 20 years.  During his tenure he was the Club President and for over 4 years held the position of Foundation Chair.  He was instrumental in having the members of his club become sustaining members of the Rotary Foundation. Bill was a generous Rotarian and was a nine time Paul Harris Fellow. Bill participated in all the activities of the club and could always be counted on when asked to serve. 

            From his early youth, Bill’s passion for cars and wheels grew furiously from building model cars to slot car racing to acquiring new and used cars and motorcycles. As a Porsche enthusiast, Bill became a member of the Sacramento Valley Region Porsche Club of America in1992 with duties of vice president and social director. He eagerly attended car events, especially the Monterey Classic Car Week in Laguna Seca and the Los Angeles Auto Show. With his wife, Cathy, and spirited friends, Bill blazed endless roads on RV excursions from Alaska to New York. Always the explorer, Bill found his roots in Ireland including the Keegan coat-of-arms and he traveled to Europe, New Zealand, Australia and tropical locations.

            With gusto and generosity, Bill hosted BBQ’s at his home he shared with Cathy. Taking on his father’s love of prepping food, no one walked away hungry for his special ribs, lamb or steak. Warm as a shot of bourbon, Bill displayed perpetual positivity and true friendship to all. Absolutely worth mentioning, his effortless longtime friendships are a true testament of loyalty and love.

            In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Rotary Foundation at Rotary.org and St. Jude Hospital at stjude.org.