John Keil

John Keil, 58, of Danbury, died April 25 at Danbury Hospital after a long and courageous struggle with complications from diabetes. Born in Manhattan, N.Y., he was the beloved son of the late Arthur and Magda Keil of Marco Island, Fla., formerly of Pound Ridge, N.Y.

John leaves behind his lifetime soul mate, Trish Keil. He also leaves behind in-laws, Ann Wilkie of Newtown and Matt Wilkie of Southbury, and Ron and Helen Malyszka of Bridgewater; nephews, Geoff and Paul Malyszka and Ryan Wilkie; nieces, Jenna Wilkie and Meaghan Wilkie. John also leaves behind many family members in Edinburgh, Scotland, and many longtime friends here in Connecticut.

John attended Wooster School in Danbury. He graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., where he played football and was very involved in the Drama Club. John was an active member of Up with People, an international youth leadership organization.

In the 1970s, John worked at Arrow Shirt Company on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan as an ad manager. But it was his love of music that drove him to leave the corporate world, to follow his dream and start the Wildflower Recording Studio in Pound Ridge, N.Y. He later started up another company, Couch Productions. John was a very talented producer and engineer and helped out in many local area stage productions. He worked with some well-known names in the music industry, such as Lionel Hampton, Dusty Springfield, The Manhattans, and many others.

A memorial service was held at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown on May 4. The Cornell Memorial Home is in charge of arrangements.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 2139 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill CT 06067.

The Newtown Bee        May 7, 2004