Calvin Robert Keating was born in Baytown, Texas, on September 22, 1951. He was the son of Joseph and Mary Keating. His love for modes of transportation started young, as he worked with his cousin at his uncle’s car dealership in Winnie and at Keating Ford, his father’s business in Crosby. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown in 1970, and just three years later, he graduated from Lamar University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Management.
Calvin then made the decision to move his young family to Sour Lake, where he would open his own dealership, Calvin Ford. Business was slow at first, but when it took off, Calvin couldn’t have been more pleased! At twenty-four years old, he was one of the youngest Ford dealers in the country. Over the years, he and his staff earned numerous awards from Ford Motor Company, including the Ford Distinguished Achievement Award fourteen times.
Sour Lake was the perfect fit for Calvin----small town life showed him that he had always been a country boy at heart! He was a natural born story teller, and he never met a stranger. When he wasn’t busy selling cars, he would stand on the showroom floor telling jokes and visiting with friends. This is the place where he cultivated his love of horses, cows, and rodeo.
Even after retiring from the car business in 1996, the sales bug could not be extinguished in Calvin. He bought a tractor dealership in Buna, and he finally got to have the big ranch that he always wanted in Mount Union. Here he could have friends and family over for roping cows and Uno card games.
Calvin took pleasure in watching his children, born during his marriage to Kathy James McDuffie, in their athletic, academic, and rodeo pursuits; he loved his daily phone calls with his father; he enjoyed the thrill of getting a good deal and making a sale; he loved to take ski trips with his friends and children, proudly proclaiming his children as the fastest skiers around; he enjoyed listening to the singing of Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, and his daughter Mary, as well as humorists Jerry Clower and Roy D. Mercer; he delighted in talking cars with anyone else, and remembered every detail of every car and truck he ever owned; he took tremendous pride in the achievements and accomplishments of his children; he got a thrill out of riding a horse and roping a calf; he liked the simple pleasures of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and John Wayne movies; his pride swelled as he walked his daughters down the aisle; his son was his pride and joy; he always helped friends in need; most of all, he simply enjoyed being a son, a brother, a father, a father-in-law, a grandfather, and a friend to many.
He is preceded in death by his brother Tom Keating.
Calvin is survived by his parents, Joseph and Mary Keating of Baytown; his daughters and sons-in-law, Lisa and James Knapp of Woodville, Alison and Kyle Blanchard of Fannett, Mary and Justin East of Labelle; his son, Joe Keating and fiancée Michelle Smith of Sour Lake; sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Larry Woodcox of Baytown; sister Kathy Keating of San Antonio; sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Tony Boyd of Highlands; two grandsons, Brady Blanchard and Ethan East, as well as numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is also survived by his former wife, Linda Keating of Sour Lake.
His funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 7, 2009 at First Baptist Church, 325 W. 7th Street, Sour Lake with burial to follow at Rosedale Cemetery under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A gathering of his family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2009 at the Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to establish a scholarship in Calvin’s name to Lamar University, P.O. Box 10011, Beaumont, TX 77710.
