Michael F. Keady, Jr., age 82

of Milford, N.J.

Michael F. Keady, Jr., age 82

of Milford, N.J.

Michael F. Keady, Jr., age 82, of Milford, N.J., died peacefully, Friday, July 4, 2025 at New Eastwood Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Easton, Pa.

Michael was born in Norwood, raised and educated in Walpole. He was a graduate of Walpole High School, Class of 1960, and Boston College, Class of 1964. Michael received his Master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina. He later attended Boston University, working towards a Master’s degree in Communications, but decided to enter the Peace Corps, serving for two years in Iran.

He lived in Milford, N.J. for over thirty years.

Michael began working for a short time making videos on lecture series for schools. He went on to a thirty plus year career with AT&T. He held various roles in public relations, speech writing for executives, and making in-house films.

Michael served as President of Friends of Holland Highlands, Chairman of the Holland Township Environmental Commission, Vice Chairman of the Planning Board, and chair of the Green Team under the Sustainable Jersey program. He also served on the Board of Trustees as Secretary for the New Jersey Highlands Coalition.

Michael was a wine collector. He always enjoyed sharing meals with friends and family enjoying good food and fine wine.

Beloved husband of the late Bella R. (Abdallah) Keady.

Devoted son of the late Lillian G. (Welch) and Michael F. Keady.

Dear brother of James P. Keady and his wife Patricia, Daniel M. Keady, of Fla., and Ruth L. Keady of San Francisco, Calif.

Michael is also survived by four nieces, a nephew, and their families, as well as many cousins.

Visiting Hours will be held at the Sweeney Brothers Home for Funerals, 1 Independence Avenue, Quincy, on Wednesday, July 16, from 9 – 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Promptly at the conclusion of the visitation, a procession will take place to Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, for committal services and interment.

For those who wish, donations in Michael’s memory may be made to the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, 508 Main St., Boonton, NJ 07005 or at www.njhighlandscoalition.org.

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Bob and Kathy Hallion wrote on July 10, 2025

Our deepest sy.phathy goes out to the entire Keady family.
Michael was a l ways cordial and smiling whenever we saw him at Jimmy’s family gatherings. He will be missed by all.

WILLIAM HONACHEFSKY JR wrote on July 10, 2025

Mike contributed so much on the Highlands

Our condolences to his family

Elliott Ruga wrote on July 10, 2025

When I first started working on staff at the New Jersey Highlands Coalition in the mid-late aughts I spent a good deal of time with Mike and Bella, learning how to comment on state environmental permit applications and rule proposals, testifying at municipal land use boards and advocating for regional planning. This was when the proposed, sprawling Huntington Knolls development was threatening the quiet of rural Holland Township and the proposed EAI development in neighboring Pohatcong Township threatened to overwhelm a limestone aquifer with stormwater and wastewater. These were also the final months leading up to the adoption of the Highlands Regional Master Plan by the Highlands Council. I knew far less than I do now, but Mike and Bella, who were active in all these challenges, were generous teachers. When Bella suddenly passed away, our director Julia could not attend the funeral so she sent me to Boston to represent the Coalition. There, Mike explained to me that when he first proposed to Bella she handed him a list of required personal improvements, each one as challenging as the Wizard of Oz demanding to be brought the Wicked Witch’s broom. Mike spent 2 years improving his lot–returning to school to complete his degree; starting a professional career, tidying his appearance, etc. This time when he asked for the hand of the love of his life, Bella deemed him worthy and they were married.

First Mike and Bella, and later Mike alone, were incredibly effective in protecting their quiet, ecologically sensitive, rich-in-natural-heritage community from over-development. They were responsible for permanently protecting hundreds of environmentally sensitive acres in Holland Township from being developed. They changed the will of the town from initially mistrusting the Highlands Council, to becoming one of the first to conform its Planning Area to the Highlands Regional Master Plan. The degree that it is recognized how much Michael is responsible for protecting what his neighbors cherish about their town is seen in how quickly his friends and neighbors lined up to personally care for Michael during his final days. Extraordinary devotion to an extraordinary guy.

Ruth Keady wrote on July 10, 2025

Our neighborhood growing up was full of kids, the baby boom in full swing. But because Michael was born before World War II he was several years older than the rest of us and so became the neighborhood entertainer, put-er-on-er of puppet shows, inventor of games for us to play, either running squealing through the backyards on warm summer nights to escape “Frankenstein”, or sitting on folding chairs indoors to watch view-master slides projected onto a white sheet. We were a captive audience for whatever his imagination could come up with, and it was always very much fun!
All this undoubtedly lead to his future career as a video producer and made him an excellent tour guide on all of our trips together to Europe and interesting places in the US – from Martha’s Vineyard, the Newport mansions and Broadway musicals to Northern California wineries for private tastings.
Michael was the best big brother you could ever hope for, always kind and endlessly amusing and looking out for his ‘little sister’.

Tony Rizzello wrote on July 10, 2025

I was devastated to hear about Mike’s passing. I worked with Mike on the Environmental Commission and other matters. Mike was the kind of person who could give finished copy off the top of his head. Which is why my words feel so inadequate in moments like this, but I wanted to reach out and let you know how deeply sorry I am.
Mike was important to me —more than just a friend, he was truly a close friend. He would often go to dinner with Jerry and myself and his kindness, laughter, and unwavering support meant the world to me, and I will carry those memories with me always. The world feels a little dimmer without him in it. I will definitely miss him at our Township meetings.

With deepest sympathy,

Tony Rizzello
Holland Township

Gerard Mulligan wrote on July 11, 2025

I knew Michael for over sixty years, since we were first-year grad students in Chapel Hill. We both loved the same music, and one of my fondest memories is of Michael setting up a giant speaker on his front porch and blasting Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces at 3 a.m. in the middle of a Jersey summer. (No neighbors within hearing distance.) He was always so full of life, it’s hard to imagine him at rest. But so he is. And I miss him already.

Jerry and Maureen Bowers wrote on July 11, 2025

Mike was an Original. A suave, cosmopolitan, and often-courtly product of his frequent travels to Europe and beyond, his marriage to his beloved Bella, and the innate sense of respect he showed to everyone who entered his orbit. At the same time, he was the witty, sometimes profane, and mischievous regular guy that many of us just liked to hang with.

Mike and Bella were the first people we met when we moved to Holland Township almost 20 years ago (except for the neighbors who brought over brownies). They walked in the door, assuring us that they were just dropping by to say hello…and left, far too soon, several hours later. After they left, I turned to my wife and said, “Ya know…I think we’re going to like it here.”

Over the years, my appreciation for Mike grew even more. A man of deep learning and insatiable curiosity, he had an extraordinary ability to share his knowledge and recommendations with clarity and compelling logic. He applied those gifts to advance singularly important environmental improvements in our town—first as an activist and gadfly, and later as one of the Township’s most productive and impactful members of key Township committees. Yet despite the inevitable confrontations that came with those roles, his good humor, his airtight arguments, his obvious respect for opposing arguments/people, and his rakish sense of humor generally carried the day.

A light has gone out in our lives.

Julie Coulter wrote on July 11, 2025

Mike Keady figures large in our family. I first met Mike in 1981, after I transferred from South Central Bell in Birmingham, AL, to work on the AT&T staff on a rotational basis – temporary with the intention to return to South Central Bell. I soon met Dan Coulter, who had transferred from AT&T in Kansas City to work for Mike in corporate television production at AT&T in Bedminster, New Jersey. This was pre-divestiture time. After Dan and I met and married, we hosted Mike and Bella for dinner. I had grown up in a Bell System family and was accustomed to entertaining “company” folks. I can’t remember what I served to the Keadys that night – probably one of my mother’s best chicken casserole recipes – a southern supper served to New Englander gourmands! As Mike had attended University of North Carolina just like my father, I felt an immediate connection. Mike shared his joie de vivre, love of history and art and sense of humor with me and I shared southern specialties with him – cheese straws, Café du Monde coffee and Dale’s Steak Sauce. He was the first to teach me to order directly from a company after he began ordering the coffee from New Orleans directly – long before online ordering was our way of life. He and Bella welcomed our family so warmly into their home many times. Mike’s support for our children, Drew and Jessie, meant a lot to us, too, and we enjoyed sharing several Thanksgiving meals with him and Bella. After our move to North Carolina, we stayed in touch via phone and I sent him cheese straws for his birthday each fall. His environmental citizenship is a model to follow. I am thankful for the life of Mike Keady. Won’t God enjoy Mike!

Dan Coulter wrote on July 11, 2025

Some losses hit the whole AT&T PR family. We’ve lost Mike Keady. Mike was my boss at AT&T’s Long Lines HQ TV production group, and he and Bella became really close with Julie and me. Bella was a gracious Lebanese beauty who was a wonderful match for Mike. Our kids loved to go out to Keady manor (an expanded farmhouse that was originally built in 1795) and play in the big, big yard. Dinner at Mike and Bella’s was always an event. Sometimes they’d serve meals outside, by candlelight. And Mike delighted in unveiling the choice wines he’d selected. Julie and I were from middle America states where we’d eat supper at 6pm or so. But Keady dinners were served fashionably late, sometimes starting at 10pm. So we yokels would sometimes grab a snack before arriving.

I remember Mike calling to let us know Bella had passed away. Now, it’s hard to accept he’s gone.

Mike was a whirlwind. Crazy competent, and endlessly entertaining. When I first joined the TV group, Mike would tape the David Letterman show and the TV team would grab food and watch the previous day’s program over lunch. Mike wanted me to meet one of his roommates from college, Jerry Mulligan, who was a writer on the Letterman show. So we drove into the city and had lunch with Jerry. The conversation was great. Mike more than held his own with a writer for David Letterman.

No mean writer himself, Mike was one of the key minds behind comedy videos featuring Pete Muldoon, fictional AT&T assistant vice-president – future strategies. The Muldoon videos poked fun at company practices and the absurdity of corporate life. They were popular across the company, and won industry awards that included the Golden Reel of Excellence from the International Television Association.

And that was just the tip of Mike’s ice burg. His wit and wisdom were on display for years in AT&T videos, presentations, speeches, and more. And his friendship was something I got to treasure long after we’d both left the company – mostly through phone calls. I can hear him now, dismissing some miscreant du jour with his favorite Bugs Bunny impression, “What a maroon!”

Sigh.

I’ll close with an Irish proverb for Irish Mike: A good friend is like a four leaf clover. Lucky, and rare.

Dan Coulter

Mark and Patty Esch wrote on July 11, 2025

Mike was a wonderful guy. He not only liked Bordeaux wine but also lightning bugs blinking in the dark, the racket katydids made at the height of summer, the emergence of cicadas after 17 years underground, and of course his hummingbirds. His enthusiasm, his brilliance, his curiosity about everything around him were obvious. What was less apparent was the rigor and discipline that was at his core. He never complained. After the sudden death of the love of his life, Bella, he did not give into self-pity and despair. Rather he dedicated himself to the cause of conservation that Bella had first embraced. Other people have noted what he achieved. Due to his efforts, Holland Township and the New Jersey Highlands are better places. Also, he strove every night to make himself a proper dinner worthy of the wine he collected. That is no small feat. Cooking for one is surely the hardest thing of all. It is a mark of his bravery that he did it for so many years. Mike was a terrier—scrappy, energetic, tough, courageous and loyal. The best thing of all was to sit with him when dinner was over, with still a little wine in the bottle, and to get Mike to tell stories about his Peace Corps days in Iran: the time he bought hashish in an alley behind a police station in Tehran; the morose Russian oil-riggers getting drunk in Tabriz; the helpful, solicitous secret policeman they played mind games with. His Peace Corps assignment was to write, produce and present a show that taught English for Iranian TV. What we wouldn’t give to see just five minutes of “Let’s Learn English with Mr. Keady”!

We will miss Mike Keady. He was a hell of a lot of fun to be with.

Bob Florance wrote on July 11, 2025

Mike was, wonderful, one of a kind. He showed me that it was OK to have fun while you worked – as long as you delivered what was expected – with excellence. I can’t think of a time that Mike didn’t greet me with his big warm smile.

I was a young video production freelancer when I first met Mike at AT&T in the early 80’s and he became an instant role model to me as a creative thinker, writer, producer and manager of people. He had everyone’s respect, people were proud to work with Mike and wanted to deliver their best for him. As well, the senior most people at AT&T listed intently when he spoke, because, whether he was giving them a better way to make a point in a speech, or sharing a humorous anecdote, he was someone you wanted to listen carefully to.

Years later, after I became an employee at AT&T and Mike moved into different senior communication roles, it was always a blast to run-into Mike. I remember walking down the hall one day and feeling the humidity change and I realize I was getting closer to Mike’s office. See, Mike had discovered how to open one of his many hermetically sealed corner office’s windows so he could blow his cigarette smoke outside.

Another time, I happened into his office and he was eager to show me his latest creation. There were half a dozen connected buildings that made up the AT&T HQ complex. Mike had gotten an equal number of small flat kid’s toy ant farms. As one could do, he had them connected together across his large desk and was giving a running commentary on what the different building’s occupants (ants) were doing. He gleefully pointed out that it looked like everyone who worked at Service Costs and Rates had passed away the night before and he would need to replace them.

All that while doing things like writing Op-Eds for the Chairman about pivotal points in the burgeoning Information Age for the New York Times – delivering with excellence.

It has been a long time since I last saw Mike in person. My career moved beyond AT&T but he was still a special person in my life that I would randomly be reminded of and have a private smile wash over me. He was the real deal and made a huge difference to me and with everything he did and everyone he met. God bless Mike, rest in peace, you will be missed but never forgotten.

Dianne & Brad Bauer wrote on July 12, 2025

We have so many, many great memories from spending time with Michael. I first met him during our days at Boston College, back in the 60’s, while working on getting out the next issue of our university newspaper, THE HEIGHTS. During that time, long before Michael became a top connoisseur of fine wines, he discovered the joys of Kentucky bourbon. He often shared this love with those around him, along with his enjoyment of Bob Dylan music.

Later when I returned from teaching high school history in Ethiopia with the Peace Corps, I introduced Michael to Brad and we asked him to be in our wedding party. Then in 1969, when he joined the Peace Corps, setting up television stations around Iran, Mike came to visit us on the Greek island of Mykonos. Since we lived there for 6 years, we invited him back again the next year on his return home to the States. This 2nd visit turned out to last for a few months as living in Greece back in the 70’s was so affordable and enjoyable!

We all remember Mike as a sweetheart with super intelligent talents who was full of fun and good cheer no matter what. He always turned his face toward the sunshine while letting the dark shadows fall behind. When Bella came into his life, we couldn’t have been happier. They always took a long moment to appreciate the delightful joys of Life and Nature. Thinking back to their aged French style stone farmhouse in New Jersey, along with the energy they both put into rehabilitating it, always brings to mind the huge, very glorious arabesque window they had shipped from Chicago where it had come from a demolished K. of C. building there. This marvelous window turned out to be the starring addition to their home, as we all loved looking out over their hillside forest.

Jim Keady wrote on July 13, 2025

My brother Michael (we called him Mickey) and I were fortunate enough to grow up together in the 50s. He used to let me tag along to Nana and uncle Ben’s house to watch the Lone Ranger on their brand new black-and-white TV.

We were also alter boys at Saint Mary’s church in East Walpole and got to go on the annual alter boys trip to Paragon Park. What a thrill!

I was proud of my brother for being an honor roll student-he was a tough act to follow. When he joined the peace core, he learned to speak Persian (Farsi) in a few weeks and off he went to Iran.

My brother Michael got to where he was in life through hard work and dedication. Whether he was writing a book report in fifth grade,
learning a new language for the peace corps or writing a speech for an AT&T executive, he gave it his all.

Michael and Bella made the perfect couple. Together they took home improvement to a new whole new level. They both enjoyed traveling, drinking fine wine and enjoying life. Now they are reunited once again.

Regina Barna wrote on July 14, 2025

It was five years ago when Mike called to invite me onto the Environmental Commission. In his energetic, laughter-filled voice he introduced himself with interesting stories and big-picture ideas for being stewards of the land. Mike became my mentor, not just in environmental matters, but in ways of being true to your ideals. A man of integrity and curiosity, his easy-going nature covered up a grounded person who stood up for the principles he espoused. When you asked him a question or engaged him in discussion, he listened carefully and considered what you said before answering. When he spoke, it was apparent that he had been thinking deeply about the matter and was always more informed than the rest of us. He thought carefully about his words, both in writing and in speech. We had many conversations about the choice of a word or a phrase that would make a difference in meaning or in style. Most recently I wrote that someone “had had” an influence on an event, and we deliberated about it like it was the most important thing in the world. But the natural world was important, and how we spoke about it revealed how much we cared about it.

Last autumn, when I suggested a book to him about the Gingko tree, he invited me to come to see its small, yellow leaves before they fell off all at once. as was their habit. While there, he proudly showed me the many unique trees on his property. While we were wandering around near a pond, we came upon the stone ruins of a structure where he and Bella had served dinner into the night by candlelight. I was attracted to a statue of an angel in the remnants of an arch of a window as we looked down the hillside, across the fields, through the trees below and far into the distant Delaware River. He sounded wistful as he told of the convivial parties. I wished I had known him then, but I am grateful to have known him at all.

Vanessa, Daniel, Ben, and Oscar Andresen wrote on July 14, 2025

Mike, as we fondly know him as “Uncle” Mike has had a huge role in our lives. We’ve enjoyed spending many holidays, birthdays, and breezy summer nights together by our pool. Each one paired with fabulous chosen wine by Mike and excellent cheeses from France or locally derived Bobolink. Every night he always had a different story to tell from his past expeditions, between the Peace Corps and his travels in France (especially Mont-Saint Michel and Jeb).
We initially met the Keady’s when they needed assistance with the electrical design of their kitchen addition to the house. Essentially from there, our friendship flourished tremendously, starting with suppers inside the barn ruins with a Mona Lisa painting that Bella would prop up in the corner with a candle. That was always followed by a celebration of his favorite wine.
One thing we admired about him was that there were zero quiet moments. He would give excellent music recommendations and in tandem could talk for hours about the Red Sox, Tar Heels, Celtics, and Patriots. A favorite production of his that he loved to mention was when he helped produce some of the original cooking scenes with Julia Child. One of our fondest memories with him was when we shared our last meal at the Woolverton Inn. Ironically, where Julia Child was married, which ensued with more stories of his production days. That night, he thoroughly enjoyed his duck waffles, as we looked away for 10 seconds and it was all gone with no crumbs left behind! Holidays will never feel the same without his presence, and he will be missed more than words can express for our family.

Lots of Love,
The Andresen Family

Georgia Finnigan wrote on July 14, 2025

I knew Michael when I was briefly in Chapel Hill North Carolina along with my boyfriend Gerry Mulligan at a time when we were also studying and enjoying our youth. I have read the other remembrances with tears as others describe their experience with Michael that I can add to in a few words: brilliant, full of energy and FUN. His passing leaves a hole in me A chunk of my own life is now gone but the memory will remain.
Georgia Finnigan

Caroline Stratton wrote on July 15, 2025

I was lucky to spend many happy times when he returned from the Peace Core. He was a great supporter of the band that Danny and I recorded an album with in 69, 70. He even got us to perform live on WGBH Mixed Bag for a short concert. What a thrill !
Also, enjoyed visits with Michael &Bella. Always had wonderful meals while Stevie Wonder songs played in the background.
Thank you for all the good times.
Rest in peace with Bella.

Chris Talbott wrote on July 15, 2025

My wife Michèle & I were good friends with Michael & Bella. I had known Michael since the late 70s, working for him at AT&T. He taught me what I know about making media projects, & a lot about writing. His style as a manager was completely collegial; he was a natural teacher.
Michael & Bella were so kind to me after Michèle died. Later I helped Michael prepare for a celebration of Bella’s life after she died.
When they first moved out to New Jersey after living in New York City, they were rented the house they later bought. When they were deciding whether to buy, they asked me what I thought; they knew the old house, while charming, needed work. I looked around at the beautifully landscaped site, & said “I would pitch a tent to live here, if necessary.” They bought.
I like to think I had a small hand in the many fine days & evenings that followed; of course, without Michael & Bella, it would have been just another house.

Michelle Peterson wrote on July 16, 2025

My Uncle Mickey. He was a sweet man who always kept up with what’s going on in our lives. From our numerous emails and phone calls, he always had the tea on how the kids were doing, what new adventures we were taking. He looked forward to the Christmas cards with the photos of the kids and would always comment on how our genes were strong. He would come visit and stay with us in Marshfield on his trips to Massachusetts to see his friends. He would always bring us a few bottles of wine for us to drink at dinner and he would tell us lots of stories of his childhood and the good old days. We will miss him and feel solace that he is with his wife Bella. Rest in peace Uncle Mickey.

Michael Craig wrote on July 17, 2025

Michael Keady a flock of humming birds arrived at your house on Jan. 16th to take you to higher places. Sitting on your front porch will never be the same. You were a wonderful friend to me. Taking small walks around your property. Talking about your days in the peace corps. Your hobby of collecting wine and how passionate you
were about it. And your discussions about Holland township land peservation. And last but not the least… is the corn on the cob at Phillips farm stand. I had some yesterday in your memory.
Thank you so much, You are missed by many!

Kathy Dullea Hogan wrote on July 21, 2025

I knew Mike when I worked as a typist on The Heights, the BC newspaper, for two years, 1962 to 1964. Tuesday night was the time we all gathered in the office at the back of McElroy Commons to prepare the paper for going to press (usually not taken to the printer till the wee hours of the morning!).

Mike was the editor-in-chief for a year. In April 1964 a special award was received by The Heights from the Associated Collegiate Press; the newspaper received a First Class Honor Rating for its excellent work. To quote The Heights article: “Michael Keady, Editor-in-Chief during last semester, admitted that ‘My mind boggles at this honor.’ ”

When I saw Mike’s obituary in The Quincy Sun (where I’ve lived since 1977), I assumed that Mike had been living here and I didn’t even know it. But he didn’t, as I soon learned after reading it. Mike’s funeral was the day before the paper was printed, so I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there, but I wanted to share some insights into Mike’s achievements ‘way back when!