1951 – 2024
Dr. Michael Raymond Keating died peacefully on May 3, 2024, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He died with autonomy, readiness, and dignity, in the presence and love of his devoted family.
Born on April 26, 1951, in Rochester, Minnesota, Michael was the youngest child of Dr. Francis Raymond Keating and Marion Bright Keating. From an early age, Michael exhibited a profound connection to the natural world, a passion nurtured by his family’s love for birdwatching, travel, and adventure. Summers spent at Camp Warren in Northern Minnesota, along with frequent family trips to Florida’s Gulf Coast, Winslow Lake in Michigan, and the slopes of Colorado, shaped him into a skilled canoeist, sailing guide, fisherman, and avid downhill skier.
After graduating from Central and Mayo High School in Rochester, MN, in 1975, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Colorado College. While there, he especially valued adding to his ornithology expertise by researching and reporting important data on DDT’s effect on peregrine falcons. His college years included a transformative semester in Munich and a series of diverse jobs ranging from cattle ranching in South America to captaining a charter sailboat on Lake Superior to working at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida.
Michael met his wife of 45 years, Sally Marshall Carroll, at Colorado College. Their marriage on August 19, 1978, in Baltimore County, Maryland, marked the beginning of a lifelong partnership filled with shared experiences, travel, love, hard work, and happiness. From Colorado Springs to Minneapolis, MN; Rochester, MN; Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; and finally New London, NH, they formed enduring bonds with friends who would remain significant throughout their lives.
Between 1982 and 1988, Michael and Sally welcomed three daughters – Eliza Carroll, Clare Amelie, and Madeline Bright – and raised them on a picturesque 40-acre woodland property in Minnesota. In 2010, Eric James Slayman joined the family as Eliza’s husband, allowing Michael many cherished years with Eric and, later, his grandsons, Rocco Francis (8) and Wilder Steven (6).
Michael’s heart was anchored in medicine. He attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and worked after graduation in Bangladesh alongside Sally, a nurse. He completed his residency and fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, where he was on staff as an Infectious Disease (ID) consultant for 30 years.
During Michael’s tenure at Mayo Clinic Minnesota, he and fellow ID consultants established the Section of Transplant ID, one of the nation’s first. Michael, with his Transplant ID and newly formed Orthopedic ID colleagues, studied and incorporated evidence-based protocols for both domains, guaranteeing top-level care for patients for years to come. Michael also acted as Fellows Program Director during that time, bringing in exceptional candidates to bolster a growing division. He was then invited to join the Mayo Clinic Florida (MCF) in 2002, where he created and chaired the subspecialty ID Fellowship Program. This effort was transformational to the division and contributed to MCF achieving its status as a leading solid organ transplant center. He was Chair of the ID Division prior to returning to Rochester to resume his practice in General ID in 2012. Michael retired in 2017 as an Emeritus physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He left a legacy of thoughtful counsel, collegiality, hard work, and an infectious laugh. After retirement, Michael and Sally moved to New London, New Hampshire, drawing closer to Sally’s family roots and, particularly, the topography Michael loved.
Michael’s passion for the outdoors was a cornerstone of family life, leading to countless ski trips, bird-watching and hiking excursions, travel around the globe and vibrant annual garden harvests. His love of music, the arts, crossword puzzles, fly-fishing, hiking, and fine food enriched his life, creating a tapestry of experiences that shaped the family’s shared memories and values. He instilled in his daughters a deep commitment to the natural world and compassion for others, a legacy evident in their adult lives as they pursued careers in climate advocacy and medicine.
Michael is survived by his wife, three daughters, son-in-law, two grandsons, two sisters, Cindy Keating Pelone and Priscilla Jane Keating, and countless beloved in-laws, nieces, nephews, and their offspring. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Peter Michael Keating, as well as his brother-in-law, Sergio Pelone.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Ausbon Sargent – Land Preservation Trust (https://www.ausbonsargent.org/; P.O. Box 2040, New London, NH 03257). Michael’s volunteer work as a land monitor for AS, reflected his strong support for its mission to preserve land and habitat in New Hampshire. To plant a tree in memory of Michael, consider https://shop.arborday.org/, ‘Trees in Memory’.
A celebration of Michael’s life will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on August 17th at Colby-Sawyer College, Wheeler Hall, in New London, NH. Friends and family will gather to honor a life well lived.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
“Michael Raymond Keating Obituary (1951 – 2024) – New London, NH – Valley News.” Legacy.Com, Legacy, 25 May 2024, www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vnews/name/michael-raymond-keating-obituary?id=55178603. Accessed 27 May 2024.