Obituary of William "Bill" McKeown

On January 5, 2021, at 9:20am, William McKeown passed away peacefully in his home with his wife of 71 years, Sally, at his bedside.

He was preceded in death by son-in-law, Clenda Dorsey Cox.  He is survived by his wife Sara (Sally) McKeown, his daughter Lynn Cox, grandsons Matthew and Mark and their wives Jennifer Cox and Amber Cox, respectively.  He is also survived by his great-grandson, Myles Cox.

He was born in Washington D.C. to William and Grace McKeown on December 1, 1926. At the ripe old age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy during the Second World War. He was sent to the Pacific Fleet where due to his diminutive stature, and inability to swim, found his way into the tail gunner position on a B24 bomber.

After the war in 1949, he married Sally Grove, and the following year, she gave birth to their daughter, Lynn. He continued his work in the public sector, eventually retiring from the Department of Justice in 1976.

He was a lifelong member of the VFW and a Charter Member of the WWII National Museum in New Orleans. He was also a lifelong car enthusiast, one would be hard pressed to find a vehicle Make or Model he didn’t own at one time or another, as long as it wasn't a Chevy.  He was a member of the AACA- Sandlapper Chapter and Early V8 Clubs. Most often his vacations revolved around car meets across the country. Many car meets included his grandchildren, who found themselves gleefully riding around Talladega Super Speedway. William retired to West Columbia, SC, where he resided until his passing.

Services will be held on Monday, January 11, 2021 at 10:00am at Elmwood Cemetery, 501 Elmwood Ave, Columbia, SC, 29201. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the WWII Museum in New Orleans. In accordance with CDC guidelines and Elmwood Cemetery’s policy, everyone in attendance is asked to please wear a mask.

Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington is assisting the family.