Charles E. Keena
May 22, 1945 ~ October 29, 2022
Resided in:
St. James, NY
On the morning of October 29th, Charles “Buddy” Edward Keena of St. James, NY died at the age of 77.
Charles was born to Francis and Doris Keena in 1945, at Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. He
grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Hicksville High School in 1963. Dad loved Long Island and
chose to stay there after graduation, raising his four children, Michael, Brian, Patrick, and Abigail in
Smithtown. In the early ‘70’s, he started a career at Eastern Airlines. This would turn out to be a
pleasure for his family, as it allowed the luxury of frequent travel. He worked hard to provide for his
family, evidenced by the fact that while working days at Eastern Airlines, Dad also worked part time as a
salesman in the evenings at Macy’s.
Dad had a green thumb and took pride in keeping our childhood home in immaculate condition. He
enjoyed mowing the lawn and raking leaves so much, he made sure his children got to participate
(although not enamored with it at the time, his kids appreciate it now). Many mornings you could find
Dad reading the paper, sipping a cup of coffee at his picnic table, and enjoying his beautiful backyard.
Dad also loved to travel. Whether it was enjoying Disney World with his children, having lunch at
Golden Gate Park in California, touring Europe with his brother and sister-in-law, or exploring the desert
in Arizona with his grandkids, Dad loved his vacations. However, Dad’s greatest pride was his family. In
his younger days as a father, you might catch him making his kids laugh by crossing the yard while doing
a handstand. He’d always purchase fresh rolls and bakery treats for Sunday breakfast. Christmas was
his favorite holiday (jackpot for the kids). We have beautiful memories of Bobby Vinton on the record
player, lights on the exterior and interior of the house and a miniature winter Dicken’s Village. Dad
would stuff as many presents under the tree as possible and then add more for good measure.
In addition to his children and their spouses, he adored his grandchildren. Until it was no longer
possible, he would take turns visiting them with trips to California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and
Arizona. He also loved to spend time at his brother Roddy and sister-in-law Athena’s home (especially
when his nephew Gerard was in town). Dad always had a soft spot for the dogs in his life – often
sneaking them fresh hamburgers and other treats. He loved spending time with his daughter’s dog, his
true companion, Frederick. If you spent 5 minutes with Dad, you could tell he was the “King of Puns”
with his quick witted quips. He was known for his contagious laugh and quirky old school sayings like
“Honey-man”, “Horse stuff and heffer dust” and “He/She is a good egg”. He also enjoyed “short” walks
on lengthy trails if it wasn’t too hot or too cold nor too sunny or too rainy. That was unless you he could
talk you into sitting down for a fresh cup of coffee instead … and that was fine with us because more
than anything, Dad loved conversing over a cup of coffee and listening to anything 50’s or Engelbert
Humberdinck on the radio. Dad had a huge heart and was always there with a helping hand and a smile
when his friends or family needed him. We loved him very much and will miss him terribly.
Charles is preceded in death by his father, Francis, his mother, Doris and his grandchild, Aubrey. He is
survived by his 4 children, Michael (and Charmaine), Brian (and Pamela), Patrick (and Monica) and
Abigail, his brother and sister-in-law Gerard and Athena, his nephew Gerard and his grandchildren,
Siera, Catherine, Lauren, Paige, Ben, Brayden and Jordanna.
A public memorial service will be held at 4 PM on Tuesday, November, 1st at Branch Funeral Home in
Smithtown. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday November 2nd at 9:45am at St. Patrick’s Roman
Catholic Church in Smithtown, NY followed by the internment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, NY.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to Memorial Sloan Kettering or the American Cancer Society
Services
Visitation: November 1, 2022 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Branch Funeral Home Smithtown
190 E. Main St.
SMITHTOWN, NY 11787
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Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Charles E. Keena 's name.
American Cancer Society (Cancer.org)
P.O. Box 22478
Oklahoma City, OK 73123
https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=frucorg2&lang=en
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
P.O. Box 5028
Hagerstown, MD
646.227.3546
https://www.mskcc.org/
Thinking of u all!! Hold on to your special memories.
Thinking of all of you with my deepest sympathy. He will be missed by all of us
Thinking of his family that he loved deeply. Charlie was my best friend during my Hicksville years . He taught me how to water ski and drive stick shift. He was my pal, my friend , my buddy. we both worked his dads hot dog wagon , visited deserted Old Gold Coast estates and took Camping trips to the Adirondacks . He was a gentle soul and a great friend . My time with Charlie will last with me forever . Just a wonderful soul and fine man . I will miss him dearly .
Noel, this was such a nice saying to write. It brought tears to my eyes. It’s nice to hear of your adventures and what Dad was like before I was even born and he was in his teenage years. Thank you for this sweet saying. He was a terrific man and father, they just don’t come better than him. We are all mourning his loss and deeply saddened and will miss him tremendously.
Maureen and I send Prayers and Thoughts to the family.
May he Rest In Peace. Prayers and strength for the family during this difficult time.
Our heartfelt condolences to you and your family during this time of sorrow. He was a great man and will be missed.
What a beautiful tribute. Wishing all of you peace at this challenging time.
My condolences to the Keena family, I have so many fond memories of Charlie when he worked at Macy’s with my Dad. He used to come back to our house in Hicksville and he would sit there at night drinking tea with my Mom and Dad and they would be laughing and joking, it was a lot of fun. We recently had connected on Facebook and it was good to talk of old times. I was so saddened when I heard of his passing, I am sure that my parents were waiting there with a cup of tea and a few good jokes to share with him.
You are missed so much already, my dear cousin Buddy ❤️ Your kindness, humor, and love will always be remembered by everyone who had the honor to know you. May you rest in peace 🙏
Sending much love and prayers to the rest of the family. We are very sorry that we can’t make it out for the services ❤️🙏❤️🙏
Sending love and prayers to the Keena family during this difficult time. To know Charlie was to love him, and his memory will live on through all who knew him. May he rest in eternal peace
So very sorry for your loss. Thinking of the entire Keena family and sending lots prayers. Family is so special to lean on and think of all the wonderful memories over the years.
Sending my deepest condolences to the entire Keena family, what a beautiful tribute to him.
Deanna Albanezi
Sending my love and prayers to the Keena family . I pray god brings you peace and strength.
My heart goes out to all that knew Charlie. I had the pleasure to work with him at the Expo Design Center for a few years. As a kitchen designer I had the wonderful opportunity to deal with Charle nearly everyday. He was an absolutely terrific man. My condolences to his family and friends. All that new him adored him.
We truly enjoyed the times we were together. Buddy was always fun to be around. Sadly we live far away and those times were too few. Family was the most important to him. He was a great father and grandfather. He will be missed.
I write on behalf of my father Neptali Guerrero, as well as the Guerrero family. Charlie and my dad were partners working together at Eastern Airlines. He was a brother from another mother to my dad. From the stories my sisters and I heard throughout the years, they were constantly pranking each other and loved embarrassing the other. One of their many pranks is Charlie pushing my dad into the ladies locker room where the flight attendants were changing into their uniforms. Another was when we visited Charlie and family many years ago at his home, and he had conspired with a cop friend of his to stop my dad on our way back home and give him a hard time. Charlie would always laugh until tears came down of the pranks he pulled on my dad. My childhood has fond memories of Charlie, I can only imagine the ones my dad has. A few years ago, I was so happy to find him on Facebook and reconnected with him. On one of his trips to Orlando, where we now live, my sisters and were able to conspire with Charlie to surprise my dad. They hadn’t seen each other after almost 30 years. Once my dad got over the pleasant shock, all they did was reminisce about the Eastern Airlines days and laugh remembering the ‘good old days”.
It is with great sadness that my family receives this news. My father and the entire Guerrero family send the tightest of hugs to Charles’ family. Rest in paradise Charlie. You will be missed.
Such an amazing tribute to such an amazing man. He always treated me like one of his own. I count myself extraordinarily fortunate to have known him. His love of his family and his appreciation for the little things that often go unnoticed have been inspirational in my life. I´ll never forget you. Rest easy Mr. Keena .
We have so many memories of Buddy- laughing at silly puns and teasing home about his super-careful work! Those were happy times. He was always ready to smile.
It’s hard to believe he’s gone but is probably smiling in heaven now!