Elgin says goodbye to Patricia Keeney
Patricia Keeney was a woman of contradictions.
Friends said she was brash, pushy and “had no filter,” when it came to giving her opinions and to fighting for a better downtown, the neighborhood in which she ran Keeney's Sporting Goods.
But the Elgin businesswoman never sought publicity or credit for her generosity that included paying the homeless to work odd jobs in her store.
“She did not hesitate to take from her own and to give to others,” Keeney's friend, Karin Jones, said Friday during her funeral.
Keeney, 62, died Monday night, succumbing to complications from cancer, nearly two months after she had been diagnosed. Her funeral was held at St. Joseph Catholic Church and 111 people came to pay their final respects.
“If you're here today, it's because Pat touched your life,” said Victor Gonzalez, one of Keeney's good friends and one of three who eulogized her. “Pat is the heart and soul of downtown Elgin.”
Keeney's Sporting Goods had been around since 1883. Her great-grandfather, Earl Keeney Sr., and his father-in-law, Walter Gartland, opened the first store, a pharmacy, at 19 Grove Ave. in 1883. It changed to a sporting goods store in 1934 and relocated to its present spot on 19 Douglas Ave. in 1946.
Patricia Keeney expanded the shop to include antiques and vintage clothing on the lower level after taking over for her father, who died in 1993. She ran the store with her 90-year-old mother Kathryn, who is now hospitalized.
Since October, volunteers kept the store open by working in shifts while Patricia was ill. The store was Keeney's sole source of income, and she had no medical insurance. Keeney was also her mother's primary caregiver.
A fundraising campaign organized by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, in addition to a vintage fashion show, raised $8,000 and helped Keeney pay some medical expenses. Friends say the volunteer effort also allowed Keeney to stay at home and hire a 24-hour caregiver.
“The fact that all of you came to help her, speaks of your own faith and goodness and of the impact Patricia had on you,” said the Rev. Juan Ayala, who never knew Keeney, but followed her story in the media. “May the soul of our sister Patricia... rest in peace.”
Keeney's clothed generations of Elginites in gym suits, letter jackets, hats and vintage clothing.
About two dozen visitors paid tribute to Keeney at her service by wearing fancy hats or letter jackets they'd bought from her store.
She was buried with her favorite denim jacket, handbag and her trademark turquoise jewelry, said Ruth Munson, Elgin's former state representative and one of Keeney's friends.
After the service, the funeral procession made its way through the downtown and passed Keeney's store before rounding the corner and heading east on Chicago Street to Bluff City Cemetery.
Her store, a place to talk, shoot the breeze, gossip and joke, closed Wednesday and will remain so until further notice. Jones urged Keeney's supporters to use the same energy they spent on helping Keeney, to now push for a stronger downtown in her absence.
“You can bet Pat will be looking over our shoulders, so we better get to it,” Jones said.