Walt Keener was Museum Curator and Historian

Joliet —The Board of Directors and employees of the Joliet Area Historical Museum (JAHM) mourn the loss of Curator Walter J. Keener, Jr., 54, who died suddenly on Friday, December 29. Keener, a resident of Joliet, had been Curator since January, 2002.

Prior to working at JAHM, Walter Keener, Jr. was the Curator of Collections at the First Division Museum at Cantigny, in Wheaton, Illinois, and was employed in the Collections Department and Archivies and Manuscripts Department at the Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Illinois.

Walter previously lived in the Detroit, Michigan area, where he spent six years as the Assistant to the Curator at the Historic Fort Wayne Museum, Detroit Historical Department, in Detroit. Walter also taught social studies and history at St. Mary’s of Redford High School, Detroit, where in 1977 he coached the boy’s track team to a Class “C” State Championship.

Walter was an avid war reenactor, and traveled to Virginia this past October to mark the 225 th Anniversary of the American Revolution’s Battle of Yorktown. He belonged to The Company of Military Historians since 1991, and regularly represented the Military Miniature Society of Illinois, speaking about the history of toy soldiers and military miniatures, particularly as that story interconnects with members, past and present, of the Company. In 2004, Walter was curator of JAHM’s special exhibit “Marching Along: the Art of the Toy Solider.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Museum, we all wish to send our condolences to Walter's family as they mourn the loss of a cherished loved one,” said Susan English, Executive Director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. "Walt was dedicated to the preservation of history in general and to the Joliet Area Historical Museum in particular," said J.D. Ross, president of the museum's Board of Directors. Employees remembered Keener as witty, fun-loving and helpful; going out of his way to share his knowledge or just to run an errand. Volunteers Dick and Linda Carlson, who assisted Mr. Keener with the Museum’s collections and traveling exhibits, stated, “Walter would walk through the neighborhood streets, greeting and talking with everyone. His passing is a great loss to Joliet.”

A wake will be held Friday, January 5, at Spaulding and Curtin Funeral Home, and the funeral will take place on Saturday at St. James Catholic Church—both in Ferndale, Michigan. On Sunday, January 28, a memorial service will be held at the Museum—the time has not been decided. The Museum will be closed that day. In lieu of flowers, Keener's family has asked that donations be made to the Joliet Area Historical Museum for its special acquisitions fund; you may contact

Susan English at 815-723-5201 ext. 222.