Br. John E. Keck, SJ, died May 1, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 81 years old and a Jesuit brother for 44 years.
John Edmund Keck was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on August 17, 1943, the son of Arnold F. Keck and Evelyn C. Code Keck. He grew up in Phoenix, graduating from St. Francis Xavier School in 1957 and from Brophy College Preparatory in 1961. He later studied at San Diego College for Men and Arizona State University.
He worked primarily in the hotel industry. He had a lifelong interest in electronics and later, in computers. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at Santa Barbara as a brother candidate in 1980. Further studies took him to Spokane, Washington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Gonzaga University in 1984.
His assignments as a Jesuit made use of his technical and computer skills. He served as computer technician at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California (1984-1987) and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (1987-1991). He moved to San Francisco in 1991 and computerized the operations of the Jesuit Seminary Association, the major fundraising office for the Jesuit formation program. Starting in 1992, he served as a computer technician at the University of San Francisco, a position he held until 2011. He moved to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos for a ministry of prayer, using his computer skills to assist the community members with solving technical problems and upgrading their computing use and experience.
Br. Keck was a quiet, reserved man who lived simply. He was generous in sharing his skills with his brothers in community and the schools.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:15 a.m. on May 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, with inurnment at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. Donations in memory of Br. Keck may be made to the Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.