Daniel J. Keating Jr., 90; headed construction firm

Daniel J. Keating Jr., 90, of Haverford, who oversaw the growth of his family's business from small firm to prominent international construction concern, died Saturday at Bryn Mawr Hospital from complications of a heart attack.

At the time of his death, he was chairman emeritus of the Daniel J. Keating Co. in Narberth.

Mr. Keating was born in Philadelphia and graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory High School in 1937 and from Villanova University in 1941. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander.

In 1951, Mr. Keating took over the mechanical contracting firm his father had founded in 1911.

Under his watch, the business expanded to include general construction and construction management.

The company has completed such projects as expansions of the Convention Center and Philadelphia International Airport, construction of the National Constitution Center, and renovations of City Hall and Independence Hall.

He loved his work, going to the office every day until he became ill recently. His daughter Nina Keating Fisher said Mr. Keating also relished visiting to construction sites and the camaraderie of the company.

"He loved getting buildings built," Fisher said. "He knew all the job sites, the men on the sites. He cared about the business and he cared about the people in the business."

Faith played a large part in Mr. Keating's life. Active in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, he was a longtime parishioner at St. John Vianney Church in Gladwyne. He served the archdiocese on several boards and committees, including the board of trustees of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and he received a number of honors for his work, including the Papal Honor of the Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great from Pope Paul VI.

In 1979, Mr. Keating was responsible for construction of a 35-foot-high altar used by more than 500 priests at a papal mass. Mr. Keating converted one of his company's construction lifts into an elevator to allow access to the massive altar.

Mr. Keating was a director of the General Building Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania and a member of the board of directors of First Pennsylvania Bank.

He received the Greater Philadelphia Area Leadership Award in 1983.

He was an avid golfer, a longtime member of the Philadelphia Country Club, Merion Cricket Club, and the Union League. He also enjoyed spending time at his summer home in Longport, N.J.

But perhaps his greatest passion was his large, close family, Fisher said. He was devoted to his wife of 62 years, Eva Meehan Keating, to their four children, and to the 24 grandchildren who called him Pop Pop. Dinners at his children's houses were a cherished ritual.

"He was just a gentle person," Fisher said. "We never saw him angry."

In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Keating is survived by sons Daniel J. Keating III and Pierce; another daughter, Eva McKendrick; his sister, Mary Margaret Sherry; and his 24 grandchildren.

Friends are invited to attend a viewing Thursday at 8 a.m. at St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 1229 W. Lancaster Ave., Villanova. A Funeral Mass will follow at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, 5300 Chester Ave., Philadelphia 19143, or to the Carmelite Monastery, 1400 W. 66th Ave., Philadelphia 19126.