“Billy Keenan never quit” - Inspiring Irish American has passed

Billy Keenan, the inspiring Irish American who turned to motivational speaking after becoming a quadriplegic in 2013, has died.

“My brother Billy Keenan went to the Lord shortly after midnight August 21," Billy’s brother John said in a post on the ‘Billy Keenan Speaks’ Facebook page on Thursday afternoon.

"Though we are brokenhearted, we take comfort knowing that he is joyfully reunited with our parents, Jim and Eileen Keenan.

“Billy will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved him. His kindness to all before and after he was injured endeared him to so many. Facing hardships that would crush and utterly defeat almost anyone else, Billy Keenan never quit, never lost faith, and instead devoted his life to helping and inspiring others.

“Billy's son Kieran and I were with him in his final moments. Kieran and Billy have grown closer than ever, and the outstanding man Kieran has become is Billy's greatest legacy.”

John later posted that a wake will be held for Billy at St. Francis Church in West Nyack on Monday, August 26 from 4 pm through 9 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis on Tuesday, August 27 at 10 am.

A popular figure in the tight-knit Irish American community, Billy, who has roots in Co Leitrim, was born in The Bronx and raised in Rockland County in New York. After graduating from Albertus Magnus High School and Fordham University, he served his country overseas as a second lieutenant in the US Army.

A talented musician, he later went on to front Summerwind Band as well as the Prime Time Showband. He also taught history at North Rockland High School.

However, in September 2013, Billy’s life took a drastic turn. 

“I was going down the Jersey Shore for the perfect late summer day to surf and then see my good friends in Celtic Cross, who were playing the Irish festival down there,” Billy told Mike Farragher, columnist for the Irish Voice, sister publication to IrishCentral, in April 2014.

“My wife Noreen took the kids and went on the boardwalk and I took to the waves.

“Then this happened, and everything faded to black.”

Billy hit his head underwater and sustained a severe spinal injury - he later told Farragher he has “no recollection” of it, which he deemed “a tender mercy.”

“I woke up 16 days later to this most grim reality," Billy said, "My arms and legs were useless to me and I was breathing on a ventilator.

"It’s hard to tell you what that was like; it was just pure and utter devastation.”

While still recovering in the hospital, Billy - not yet able to speak - received an inspiring phone call from NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, who had become a quadriplegic in a shooting in 1986.

"At my lowest point, he called me and said, ‘Billy, there is one thing to remember: after all you will go through, there will be light.’

"It was like God speaking through him as a vessel to give me hope.”

After the tragic accident, the Irish American community rallied around Billy, launching the #KeenanStrong support network to help with medical costs. Three fundraisers were organized for May 2014 featuring entertainment from a host of Irish bands in New York.

(Billy, however, later claimed that he never received the funds that were raised, a matter that later became a factor in his and his wife Noreen's divorce. In 2019, ahead of another fundraiser event, WCBS reported that "someone close to him stole the money in a case that police have not been able to solve.")

Amazingly, two years after his accident and intensive rehabilitation, Billy returned to North Rockland High School to resume teaching, thanks in part to some adaptations. He continued teaching for nearly two years until a severe UTI nearly took his life in March 2017. His doctors told him that his body could no longer handle teaching.

Afterward, Billy came across a quote: "When you’re faced with adversity, you have two basic choices. Curse the darkness or light a candle." He knew it was time to light the candle.

Billy pivoted to motivational speaking and leaned even more into his Catholic faith. Last year, he published a book "The Road To Resilience: The Billy Keenan Story."

In recent months, Billy remained active on his Billy Keenan Speaks Facebook page. His last post was on July 26, inviting people to join him in a prayer group the following Sunday.

On Thursday, after his passing was announced, Billy's personal Facebook page was flooded with warm condolences, remembering the Irish American as "courageous," "an inspiration," and "remarkable."