Norman Julius Keen

Norman Julius Keen of Waco passed away Friday, May 6, 2016. His Memorial Service will be 1:30 p.m., Monday, May 9, at Temple Rodef Sholom with Rabbi Laura Harari officiating. There will be a private family burial. Norman was born March 12, 1918, in Waco, Texas, to Ben and Rosa Levinson Keen. He graduated from Waco High School and studied at Baylor University. When he was seven years old, the Waco Tribune Herald named him as one of the five heathiest children in Waco. And that proved to be true, as he lived to age 98 and was in good health until the last six months of his life. During WWII he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and quickly was promoted to Sargeant Major. While stationed in Puerto Rico he met the love of his life. This happened when his friend and fellow soldier asked him to write a letter to his next-door neighbor back in McAlester, Oklahoma. Norman and Natalie wrote back and forth and were married a few years later. They had three daughters, Dianne (DeDe), Barbara and Cindy. His father, Ben Keen, opened Keen’s Department Store in West, Texas, in 1910, and upon his death, Norman owned and operated that store until his retirement in 1986. He truly loved the people of West. When he sold the store, he and Natalie started to travel the world. Upon retirement he helped implement a literacy program, was on the Advisory Board for Caritas and helped open a Caritas Thrift Store in West. He answered phone calls from children who came home alone after school while their parents were working. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Ruth Keen Levy; and his brothers, Arnold and Marvin Keen. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Natalie Goldberg Keen; daughters, Dianne Wadler (David), Barbara Drell (William) and Cindy Perlman (Brett); grandchildren, Melissa Bloome (David), Lindsay Hyman (Jonathan), Elizabeth Bentley (Steven), Jarrett Wadler, Allison Drell, Laura Drell, Brian Perlman, Hallie Perlman and Drew Perlman; great grandchildren, Jackson Keen Bloome, Ashley Bloome, Conner Bloome, Kate Hyman, William Hyman, Caroline Bentley and Andrew Bentley. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. His sense of humor, sweet smile and affectionate personality endeared him to everyone. He adored his wife, daughters, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Honorary pallbearers are David Wadler, Jarrett Wadler, Brett Perlman, William Drell, Brian Perlman and Drew Perlman. We want to thank his devoted caregivers, Sheri Coleman, Charlene Vinson, Mildred Johnson, Patricia Quinonez, Kim Dyer, Sharon Gordon, Jamie Wellbrock and the staff of Bluebonnet Hospice. Memorials may be made to the Temple Rodef Sholom, 1717 N. New Road, Waco, TX 76707 or The Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL, 60601. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.