Edwin Evans Keelen

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he later moved to Philadelphia, where he completed high school before earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968. He was a proud member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Later, he received his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh.

Ed dedicated over 40 years of his professional life to Westinghouse Electric Company, beginning in Pittsburgh and later moving to Columbia, South Carolina in 1985, where he worked until his retirement in 2008. Throughout his career, he served in a variety of positions including engineering, Quality Assurance, project management, and executive management.

A member of Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church for nearly four decades, Ed served as an elder in his church in multiple capacities including: Clerk of Session, Building and Grounds Chair, Worship Chair, Christian Education Chair, Congregational Care Chair, and Good News Committee Chair. Ed was also a teacher of the Roads and Anchors Sunday School class and recently the Roads to Faith class. Ed sang in the adult choir and was a charter member of the Lanterns Men’s Prayer group and founding leader of the Stephen Ministry program. He was deeply committed to his faith and church community.

In retirement, Ed remained deeply committed to helping others and continued to grow personally and spiritually. He joined the nonprofit Enabletech, which provides assistive technology to people with disabilities at no cost, and became its President and CEO in 2012. He also served on the board of Vitality SC, an organization that lends medical equipment to those in need, and was appointed Vice Chairman of the South Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council, a governor appointed position to monitor and enhance the independent living lifestyle across the state. A passionate advocate and volunteer, he was actively involved with Relay for Life. Ed also embraced his love of writing, publishing two books: Helpful Reflections for Difficult Times (2019) and Coping and Hoping: A Book of Poems (2022). Ever curious and open-hearted, he joined a creative writing group and continued to find joy in learning new things.

Ed is survived by his beloved wife, Cathy Keelen; daughters, Amy Keelen Hawkins (Brad) of Greenville, SC and Kimberly Keelen Claxton (Matt) of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren, Ella Newton, Abby Newton, Reed Claxton, and Kate Claxton; and his sister, Eleanor DeBacher (Gary) of Decatur, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Lois Keelen.

A memorial service will be held on April 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ed’s honor to the American Kidney Fund https://give.kidneyfund.org/page/71513/donate/1 or the American Cancer Society https://donate.cancer.org/