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Longtime Patchogue Village Trustee Joe Keyes, who was set to be the grand marshal in the community’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, has died. He was 73.
A member of the board of trustees since 2009, Joseph Edward Keyes, Jr. had also served as Patchogue‘s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation since 2015, spearheading many of the village’s ambitious improvement projects and significantly elevating the quality of life for many of its residents.
Keyes was also influential in establishing the Protecting the Environment in Patchogue (PEP) Committee in 2015. With PEP, he helped Patchogue become the first community in New York to create a ban of single-use plastic bags. PEP also successfully pushed for a ban on the use of Styrofoam food containers, as well as the installation of recycling bins in village parks and the implementation of the Green Business Program, which helps Patchogue businesses use sustainable products.
“Joe was everything that you want. He was smart, he was sage. He was 100% in his honesty and in his dedication to the village and his dedication to his family,” said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, a longtime friend and colleague of Keyes.
Keyes had suffered a heart attack a week ago, and while at NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk (formerly Long Island Community Hospital) in Patchogue, he suffered another, this time major, heart attack on Friday, Pontieri said. He died on Monday, March 10.
His death came just weeks after he was honored at Patchogue’s annual Passing of the Sash ceremony. During the Feb. 23 celebration at James Joyce Pub & Restaurant, Keyes was cheered by his peers and received the grand marshal sash.
“Joe was not only a dedicated public servant but also one of the kindest and most compassionate individuals,” read a statement released by the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. “His commitment to our community was unwavering.
“His kindness, leadership, and tireless service will be deeply missed, but his impact will forever be felt in our village,” the chamber added.
Retired from the LIRR
Born in Brooklyn, Keyes graduated from Bellport High School in 1969. He moved to Patchogue in 1976 after marrying his wife, Linda, in 1973. He later retired from the Long Island Rail Road, where he had worked as a track supervisor.
Keyes was deeply involved in community activities, coaching in the PYAA Little League for 15 years during the1980s and 1990s. He also served as chairperson of the Patchogue Village Community Development Agency from 2007 to 2009 before being appointed to the Village Board of Trustees in 2009. He was later elected to the board in 2010, and then reelected three times.
During his tenure as parks and recreation commissioner, Keyes oversaw numerous improvements to village parks, including the installation of artificial turf fields for Little League, upgrades to Shorefront Park’s living shoreline, improvements to Belzak Park and Father Tortora Park, resurfacing of tennis courts, and the addition of pickleball courts.
Keyes was also instrumental in developing the popular splash pad that opened last year at the Patchogue Beach Club.
“If you take a look at what’s happened down in our parks over the last 10 years, it’s remarkable,” Pontieri said.
Beyond his environmental initiatives, Keyes helped implement clean energy legislation for the village, which led to the purchase of electric vehicles for the municipal fleet.
“There was nothing that came by him that was a good idea that he wouldn’t try to make happen,” Pontieri said.
Keyes was known widely for his dedication to village projects.
“He was somebody that I could count on,” Pontieri said. “We could disagree sometimes, but I always knew I could rely on him for an opinion and insight.”
The mayor, who had known Keyes since the 1980s when their sons played Little League baseball together, spoke of the personal loss.
“He was someone you counted on, someone that I could trust. He was just a wonderful man,” Pontieri said.
Services for Trustee Keyes
Keyes is survived by his wife, Linda, their four sons, and five grandchildren.
Visitation services for Keyes are Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. [corrected from an earlier report] and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Ruland Funeral Home, 500 North Ocean Ave. in Patchogue.
A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday at First Baptist Church of Patchogue, 482 North Ocean Ave.
Pontieri said the village will not immediately fill Keyes’ vacancy on the board of trustees.
Instead, they plan to take time to make a “suitable appointment,” looking first to members of village planning boards and zoning boards.
“Those people that have experience and understand who we are as a community. And that only happens by being involved,” Pontieri said, noting the appointment process is expected to take several weeks.
Despite the loss, the St. Patrick’s Day parade will go on as planned, with Keyes’ family members walking in his honor and memory.
“It’s just a sad thing. It’s something that he was so thrilled about doing,” Pontieri said.
Top photos: The feature photo is GLI file photo. The inset is a Village of Patchogue Facebook photo of Joe Keyes.
