THUNDER BAY -- A prominent member of the Lakehead University community had died.
Bill Keeler, who was the athletic facilities supervisor at the C.J. Sanders Field House for 28 years before retiring in 2009, passed away on Friday morning.
Keeler was entrenched in the athletic community, a driving force behind three national wrestling championships and four national basketball championships held at Lakehead during his tenure.
In 2002 he chaired the committee for the Canadian Inter-University Sports wrestling championships and he was a past member of the Thunder Bay sports bid committee.
Seven years later he was awarded the 2009 Ontario University Association’s J.P. Loosemore Award, for recognition of his major contributions through administrative work within university sport.
He was also a long-time member of the Thunder Bay Country Club and served on its board of directors for several years and was a member of the board of directors of the Lakehead University Alumni Association, as president from 2010 to 2012.
Keeler also served as an RCMP officer before arriving in Thunder Bay.
He is survived by his wife Lucille and three children, Cory, Andrea and Kelly.
