Thomas "Tom" Matthew Keating

Thomas “Tom” Matthew Keating, 89, of Asheville, passed away Tuesday, March 20, 2018. A native of Asheville, Tom was a son of the late Paul and Dorothy Grimshawe Keating. He was also preceded in death by his loving wife of 56 years, Marian Daly Keating, who passed away in 2017. Tom received a degree in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a degree in pharmacy from the Medical University of South Carolina. He worked as a pharmacist in the Asheville area for 35 years until his retirement in 1993. He was a body builder and earned the Presidential Sports Award in Weight Training multiple times. Tom is survived by two daughters, Lynn Abernethy and her husband, Avery, of Auburn, AL and Kathleen Hollar and her husband, Maurice of Asheville; two sons, Joseph Keating of Arden and Timothy Keating of Arden; four grandchildren, Joey Keating, Michael Keating, Erica Scott and Sam Christopher; one sister in law, Virginia Daly of Cleveland, GA and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2:30 PM on Monday, March 26, 2018 at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, DM. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family graciously asks that memorial donations be made to Salesian Missions, 2 Lefevre Lane, New Rochelle, NY 10801 (www.salesianmissions.org). Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.