Obituary
The Obituary details are missing from the old Club website. They will be found.
The date deceased is approximate.
Valedictory
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the passing of Steve Keen, ex 1st XV prop, husband of Karen and father to Emily, and also a great mate to many at Ealing RFC.
He will be greatly missed by all.
Steve fought a valiant short battle against cancer and was positive to the end.
David Steene, Chairman - Senior Rugby
Ealing 1st XV Promotion playoff v Saffron Walden 2003/04
This photo is of the 1st XV after we won the promotion playoff game v Saffron Walden to gain promotion to London NW2 in May 2004. Steve is 4th from left in the front row.
A legend, a gent and a mate to many.
David Steene
Very sad news indeed - Keeny was one of life’s true gentlemen!
Steve Wallace
I was very sorry to hear the sad news about Steve Keen.
I started playing regularly with Steve in the early 1990s. At that time we had a large number of good front row players and Steve did very well to force his way into the team. He subsequently to become a cornerstone of a side which won the Middlesex Cup and came very close to promotion from London Division 1. Steve was immensely loyal and I felt, at the time when we started sliding down the leagues, that he easily had the ability to leave and play at a higher level. I was very pleased that he did not.
He was, as others have said, a great bloke. He was responsible for probably the best throwaway line I have ever heard. My condolences are with his family.
John Critchfield
Steve Keen was a first team prop when I first coached at Ealing and I will always remember his positive attitude in times of great change at Ealing RFC. He played a huge part in getting Ealing up the leagues to where they are today. Nice to see so many of his team mates leaving their messages here as he was truly a great bloke and I have very fond memories of him.
Mark Josse
Shocked to hear the very sad news of Keeny, an all round good bloke ….not many of people know this, but we spent a lot of time training together!!! Thoughts are with your family, you will be missed my friend.
Graham Fletcher
Very sad news indeed. I am sure I will echo the comments of all that knew him when I think of Steve as a true legend - a terrific guy all round!
Please pass my condolences to his loved ones and I will be thinking of him and them.
Carl Bayliss
He was a big man in every respect, someone I often engaged with, and whose company I greatly enjoyed. He played a crucial part in Ealing’s return to the higher leagues.
Rhidian Jones
A great guy to play alongside in the front row and a great guy to socialise with after the game. Steve was all that you could ever want from an Ealing man and a example to us all. God bless you Steve.
Les O'Gorman
For most of my years in Ealing , Steve was a front row colleague. We were good friends, and in the true sense of the phrase, friendly rivals. As props do, we spent a lot of our time boring on the field and boring everyone at the bar, discussing the artful delicacies of front row play. Steve was as strong as an ox, and I find it hard to take in he has been taken from us. All who knew him are mourning, and the front row union most especially.
So soon after Damian, this is quite numbing news. Rest in Peace, Steve.
Pat Kirby
That is sad news about Steve, he was a good man.
Gareth Morgan
Steve Keen was a true gent, a friend and a great clubman, I had the pleasure of being his front row partner for a number of years and also his captain. Steve was known for his love of the gym, and I’m sure Steve has a place in Heaven with a gym and en-suite.
You leave us with great memories on and off the field…
Mark Congerton
Hard to imagine Keeny gone , he was so srong and active. A really good guy and a great teammate.
For we know not the day nor the hour… RIP Steve
Declan Cronin
A great loss, a good man and a good mate.
Justin Smith
I have fond memories of my first season at Ealing playing alongside Steve. One of life’s most genuine nice guys.
James Dunne
A top bloke a real shame and a great loss.
Jamie Camp
A terrible shame and he will be missed.
Mike Whitney
I’m so sorry to hear the news. Steve was a great player and such a good bloke. My condolences to his family.
John Molony
Still in shock that another good friend has been taken before their time. Always gave you confidence that the scrum wasnt going to be a problem when he was playing. I remember a game against Ruislip where the opposition props squealed as Keeny & Congy took them apart. Always a pleasure to have a beer with him afterwards, calm, positive appraisal of the game followed by more entertaining and colourful conversation later on. He was also the best boss Annie ever had.
We’ll miss him dearly.
Steve & Annie Nethercote
Keeny a gentle giant of a man (except at scrum time!)……..will be sadly missed by many…very very sad news….
Andy Breeze
Very sad news, Keeny was a real genuine guy who had time for everybody in the bar after a game. A rock in the scrum, I can’t ever remember him taking a step back. An Ealing legend.
Simon Davies
I only had the pleasure of knowing Keenie over a couple of seasons, but he was indeed a true gentlemen. I expect there will be a good turnout on the 29th, to honour and show respects to a really good man.
Leighton Norman
Keeny and Cotts on the rugby tour that wasn’t…..!
Keeny and Cotts on the rugby tour that wasn’t…..!
Very sad to hear that, Steve was a top bloke, and I have fond memories of our discussions on the intricacies of the front row.
Chad Hoggard
An Ode to a Man In A Million, Steve Keen - RIP
There will be a cloud hangin’ ower Vallis Way the day
Fir a true rugby gent has sadly gone, passed away
As we waken this mornin’ theres a gapin’ big hole
Steve Keen has sadly gone, tae fulfil another new role
I’ll ay’ remember him fondly wi his steely hard presence
A prop forward nae doobt, scrums wir his very essence
The side marched forward wi’ him right up top
A backward step never taken, not ever, oor mighty prop
Hard, strong and honest, it wiz just Kennys way
A life cut short, you’ll agree, these words we need tae say
A family man, proud husband and crackin’ great dad
And when it came tae his roond, he wisnae half bad!
He’s a pal to many his passing will be sorely felt
One in a million wiz he, his story only partly telt
God graced us wi his friendship, his love and his dreams
He just wanted him back sooner, thats just how it seems
Just bump and stay big, like ye eiways did dae
Til we meet again big felly, in Gods ain Vallis Way
Rest easy, be at peace, ye fought right tae the end
We expected nothin’ else fae oor lion hearted friend.
Love now and always
Frase (no. 9)
Fraser McMillan
How awful. Very sad news. Deepest sympathy to his family.
Far too young - I will always remember him punching me in training once!!
Ben Hesketh
Just could not believe it. So sad. Healthy guy who looked after himself and played rugby longer than most…..Makes you think a lot. We had the holiday with Keeny (“Lippo Fatty, Lippo Fatty, Fatty Keeny”) along with Corbs, Jamie and my brother. Still got the photos…will mean even more now.
We had so many great times at Ealing both on and off the pitch. I never think that I will never see the old crowd again and always believe there will be reunions or other reasons to get together with all the boys again. Events like this make you realise that you will never see everyone again. He was a great bloke, and a bloody good prop.
Paul "Magic" Morrris
Sad news indeed. It is difficult to know which is more awful, a sudden and shocking illness like Steve’s or a long drawn out battle like Damien’s. Either way is a terrible waste.
Graham Johnson
Sad news indeed. I know him to be a very close friend to many and especially to you. A great loss.
Richard Ward
I can’t believe it! What a gent he was and not a bad prop either.
Danny Walsh
He was indeed a gent. You could not find anyone more loyal and reliable. They were indeed good times.
Peter Joyce
A big loss.
Ricky (Vittorio) Spadavecchia
