Clara Keenan, who with her husband owned the Tomahawk Leader for more than 25 years, died Sept. 20, under the care of Ascension Home Hospice.
Keenan, who was 92, was born June 23, 1926, in Polley, Wis. She studied education at Superior Teacher’s College and UW-Madison, and later worked as a teacher in Tomahawk.
A lifelong learner and avid gardener and baker, Keenan also loved to read and travel.
Clara and Ken Keenan married July 12, 1952, and together they owned the Leader from July 1955 until Ken died in March 1979. Clara took on the role of publisher after her husband’s death until selling the newspaper in April 1982.
Kathy Tobin, who along with her husband Larry now owns the Leader, shared her memories of Clara Keenan in a column.
Keenan is survived by her children — David Keenan, St. Paul, Minn., Kathy “Kate” Rasmussen, Wausau, Peggy (Mike) Seiler, De Pere, and Tom (Annette) Keenan, Burnsville, Minn. She is further survived by eight grandchildren & six great-grandchildren. Clara is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mary Gryniewski, husband Ken, and five siblings — Rosie, Martha, Edmund, Lucy & John.
