Thomas Keel

Thomas Keel, age 82, passed away peacefully on June 6, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Gertrude Kielminski, his wife, Karen Keel, and his sister, Corinne Stolp. He is survived by his children, Andy Keel (Michelle), Kara Keel Moody (Chad), and Tamara Keel; and his grandson, Noah Keel.

Thom was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After attending the American Academy of Art, he started working at Skrudland Photo, which led to other jobs in management. Bauer Audio-Visual was the company that moved his young family from Chicago to Marietta, GA in 1978. From there he worked at KEH Camera and later landed a job with Siemens. During this time, he also studied to receive his MBA and then pursued a PhD at Georgia Tech. While he didn’t complete this degree, he fell in love with academia and started a new career as an associate professor in the School of Building Construction at Tech. He spent several years teaching their summer abroad program in both Paris and outside of London.

Thom and Karen, his wife of 59 years, enjoyed traveling and staying actively involved in their church, where he taught Sunday School, and served as an Elder. He loved learning and was an avid reader – he read the Bible cover to cover more times than anyone could count. He was exceptionally proud of his grandson, Noah, and he will be greatly missed.

A small celebration of life will be held with his family. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Salvation Army where he and his sister first began going to church as children.