A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating the life of Charles Thomas "Tom" Keck, 88, of Newark will be held at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 10:30 A.M., Thursday, September 19, 2024, with Fr. Ed Keck as celebrant. Interment will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Newark.

Tom died peacefully at home, surrounded by family on September 12th, 2024.  Tom was born in Newark, Ohio on March 7th, 1936, to the late Frederick J. and Mary Louise (Brucken) Keck.

Tom will be greatly missed by his wife Judy (Davis) Keck; children Mark (Tracey) Keck of Heath; Chris (Maureen) Keck of Newark; Steve (Kenita) Keck of Newark; Mary (John) Marron of Newark; and Susan (Luke) Nutter of Johnstown; step-children Chris (Michelle) Huffman of Springfield, Virginia; and Stephanie (Tim) Olson of Columbus; grandchildren:  Cameron, Brielle, Conor, Colin, Mary Brigid, Shannon, Kelly, Erin, and Ken Keck (fiancé, Sydney Gray); J.T. Marron; Caleb, Sarah, Zeda, Liam (fiancé, Mikayla Rosencrans), Emily, and Dominic Nutter; step-grandchildren Matthew and Joshua Huffman, and Corey (Crystal) Olson; step-great-grandchild, Jamison Olson; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary "Sue" (Kuster) Keck; brother, August "Bud" (Frances) Keck; sister, Rita C. Keck; and sister, Paula M. (John) Arensberg.

Tom graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School in 1955 and worked for 31 years at the Newark Air Force Base in the civil engineering department.  Tom was a huge supporter of Newark Catholic athletics, and for over 26 years served as the public address announcer for Green Wave football games.  He coached Little League Baseball and Track & Field for many years. He was blessed to see his children and grandchildren win a number of state championships in volleyball, football, and baseball.  A daughter and two grandchildren earned a total of six All-America awards in college track and field.  Tom was a life-long Notre Dame fan, and in his last weeks he insisted on getting out of bed to sit in his spot on the couch for every ND game.

Tom Keck was a mischievous child; he told stories of exasperating his mother with broken windows, lack of concern for his studies, and wandering off so often that she had to put him on a long rope tied to the porch!  He loved watching westerns, and his favorite star was John Wayne.

But his greatest hero was always, and always will be, his brother Bud Keck.  Tom grew up during World War II, and Bud, 18 years his senior, was a decorated soldier who fought in Europe.  That instilled a deep patriotism in Tom, which deepened as he saw our soldiers overcome the great enemy, and then our country became a world leader in production and creativity.  He believed strongly in our country's founding documents.  He was an avid student of our nation's history, especially the Civil War.

Tom married Sue Kuster, his high school sweetheart in 1956, and they had five children.  As his family grew, he wanted his children to enjoy the same freedoms and security that he had growing up.  It started with family.  It started with a commitment to those that God put into your life as brothers, sisters, parents and children.  And that commitment carried over to your church, your team, and your country.  Sadly, Sue was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away after 27 years of marriage.

Tom found love again and married Judy (Davis) Huffman, a co-worker at the Newark Air Force Base.  He loved Judy's two children as his own.  In the ensuing years, he and Judy became grandparents to 19 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and Tom was christened with the name "Paka" which was to be his identity for the rest of his life.

Paka's life was intertwined with his family in every way, from working on just about every house in the family, to being the best destination for trick-or-treating, to birthday dates for every grandchild (especially to Build-a-Bear!), or just sitting at family gatherings and recalling stories from his youth.

He could laugh at himself and the mistakes he made.  Even as death approached, he laid very quietly on his bed with his hands folded and eyes closed, and then told us he was "practicing."   Paka told many a long story, but he was not one to give long speeches.  Faith and love of country were lived in a simple, humble way, and sometimes, when we would get out the Crown Royal to do a toast, the entire speech was summed up in just one word:  Family!

Paka lived that example for over 38 years of marriage to Judy.  He gave us a beautiful witness of faithful, married life for over 65 years.

The family would like to thank Dr. Mullins and all the nurses on the Oncology floor at LMH for all the wonderful care they gave him and all the caregivers at Hospice of Central Ohio.

Calling hours will be held at the Reed-Egan Funeral Home, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark Ohio, 4-7 P.M., Wednesday, September 18, 2024, with a Vigil Service held at 7:00 P.M.

The family requests memorials in Tom's name be made to the Newark Catholic High School Athletic Association, 1 Green Wave Drive, Newark, Ohio 43055.

To share your memory of Tom or leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.reedegan.com