Richard Joseph Keating

(August 1, 1933 – May 13, 2020)

On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Colonel Richard Joseph Keating, loving husband, and father of two children, passed away at age 86.

Richard was born on August 1, 1933 in Fort Lewis, WA, to Ann Elizabeth (Clark) and SSG Edmund Joseph Blake Keating. He received his Bachelor of Science in Military Science from the Unites States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY in 1956. After an extensive 20+ year military career, he held a series of executive positions for 20+ years before retiring to the Washington D.C. area. On November 3, 1960, he married Oda Ingrid Raum in Berlin, Germany. They raised two sons, Perry Edmund and Douglas Eric.

Colonel Keating had a distinguished military career as an Infantry Officer with Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces Qualifications having served in such distinguished units as the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; 4th Infantry Division - Vietnamese Rangers (Vietnam), and the 7th Special Forces Group. Richard had a passion for baseball - being a life-long New York Yankees fan - as well as fine cigars which he enjoyed smoking. Richard and Oda both enjoyed classical music, the opera as well as taking trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Richard was a dedicated family man who was known to roam the sidelines of swim meets, football fields, field hockey matches, and soccer fields as coach, mentor, starter, referee, or fan. He was known for his quick wit, infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit.

Richard was preceded in death by his father, Edmund, and his mother, Ann, as well as his sister, June Ellen Snable and his brother Charles Francis Scarle, Jr. He is survived by his wife Oda, his two children, Perry (Francesca) of Great Falls, VA, and Doug (Kim) of Reston, VA, his brothers, Albert Clark “Buckey” Keating of Reston, VA, and James Stephen Scarle (Rose) of Toms River, NJ, and his youngest sister Patricia Anne Fiasconaro (Gregory) of Little Silver, NJ, his five grandchildren, Cooper, Cassandra, Alexandra, Gavin, and Reilly and several cousins, nieces, grandnieces, nephews and grand nephews.

Internment services will be held at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a charitable donation the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.