Grace M. Mckeone

SCHENECTADY - Grace Marie O’Malley was born in Schenectady, NY on January 25, 1946, to Dorothy Sollohub and John O’Malley.  She was named after the famed Pirate Queen of Ireland and was very proud of her Irish heritage.

Grace graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in June 1964 and went to work as a secretary for the State of New York the very next day.  She worked in numerous capacities over the next 38 years, settling in the field of social services before retiring from the Department of Health as a Medicaid auditor in June 2002.

In 1961, Grace noticed a handsome sailor in a Schenectady diner and couldn’t get him out of her mind. She asked the waitress if she knew him, then tracked down his address in the Navy and wrote him a letter, thus introducing herself to the love of her life, Walter McKeone of Mariaville, NY.  They were married on November 1, 1964, had three children, and made their home in Charleston, NY, which Grace affectionately nicknamed “Glass Pond Farm.”  She grew beautiful flower gardens in the summer, volunteered with Cooperative Extension, raised pigs just to say she’d done it, and was known near and far as a fantastic cook and baker.  She made wedding cakes as a hobby for many years and was the host of happy backyard barbecues and dinner parties.  The McKeone home was always open to family, friends, and neighborhood kids.

Grace decided to carpe diem after losing her step-brother in 2002, so she purchased a winter home in Sarasota, FL, where she enjoyed the famous white sands of Siesta Beach and coordinated events for her community association.  During summers in NY, Grace was active in the Schenectady Kiwanis and even served a term as President.  She was always on the go with her many friends, too, some she had known since childhood.  She enjoyed numerous day trips, Broadway shows, local music events, and more.  She especially loved to travel, with Cape Cod and Ireland being her two favorite destinations, as well as any cruise with family and friends.  She was also proud of having studied abroad at the University of Bristol, England.

Grace lived life to its fullest until she suffered a stroke in 2018 that necessitated a move to assisted living.  She then suffered further injury while vacationing in Florida, causing her to require full care.  She recuperated at the Sunset Lake Health and Rehabilitation Center in Venice during the Covid-19 lockdown, unfortunately unable to see Walter again before his passing in 2022.  Later, she returned to NY and settled at the Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Albany, where visits with friends and family were the highlight of her days and she continued to amuse everyone with her sharp wit until her passing on August 31, 2023.

Grace was predeceased by her parents and step-father, Ted Sollohub; her step-brother, Ted Sollohub; her husband, Walter (who still made her beautiful blue eyes light up after more than 60 years); their stillborn son, Walter B. McKeone, Jr.; and their daughter, Kourtney McKeone-O’Connor, who passed away unexpectedly a month before Grace.  She is survived by her daughter, Kelly McKeone (Nathan Eden), of Albany; son, Kyle McKeone, of Schenectady; sister, Marylou VanVranken, of Kissimmee, FL; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Calling hours will be held at the Demarco-Stone Funeral Home, 1605 Helderberg Ave, Rotterdam, NY, on September 25, 2023, from 10am to 12pm, followed by a memorial service at 12 noon.  Grace will then be interred at the Schenectady Memorial Park alongside Walter, Kourtney, and baby Walter.  Grace would be honored by donations to Kiwanis International (www.kiwanis.org), an organization with which she volunteered for several years to improve the lives of children in need.