Winifred “Winnie” Gertrude (Dow) Keeney, 87, of Manchester, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at home on September 18, 2026.

Winnie was born on May 5, 1939, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, to John Arnold Dow and Mary Anna (Kattiche) Dow, and grew up in nearby Mill River. She graduated from Mount Everett Regional High School with the Class of 1957. She was preceded in death by her parents and her two brothers, Richard Dow and Alexander Dow.

Winnie was, above all else, genuine. She had little interest in pretense or appearances and never felt the need to be anything other than exactly who she was. With Winnie, what you saw was what you got.

She possessed an endless supply of random facts. Winnie loved crossword puzzles, and Jeopardy! was a regular fixture in her home. When her children were growing up, it was often on during dinner, with Winnie yelling out the answers from the table, sometimes to the surprise of unsuspecting dinner guests.

Her curiosity extended far beyond trivia. Winnie loved history and had a particular fascination with World War II. She also had a deep appreciation for architecture, especially the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Even family summer vacations tended to include an educational component alongside the fun. Whether there was history to explore or interesting architecture to discover, Winnie was going to find it.

Family was at the center of her life. She devoted countless hours to researching and documenting her family’s genealogy, carefully preserving the names, stories, and connections of generations that came before her. Her love of history was never limited to events in books; she wanted to understand and preserve her own family’s history as well.

Winnie shared her life with her husband, Clinton Clifford Keeney. In July, just two months before her passing, Winnie and Clinton celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Winnie is survived by her husband, Clinton; her daughter, Beth Keeney Ewing and her husband, David Ewing, of Kingsport, Tennessee; her son, Clinton John Keeney and his wife, Analise Keeney, of Alexandria, Virginia; and her brother-in-law, Gary Keeney.

She is also survived by her three grandchildren: Kalen David Ewing, son of Beth and David; and Clinton Michael Keeney and Marigold Winifred Keeney, children of Clinton and Analise.

Winnie leaves behind not only the family history she worked so carefully to preserve, but her own place within that history, remembered by the family she loved.

Calling Hours will be held on Friday, September 25th, 2026, from 5pm till 7pm at Holmes Watkins Funeral Home located at 400 Main Street, Manchester CT 06040. A Funeral Home Service will take place the following at Holmes Watkins Funeral Home located at 400 Main Street, Manchester CT at 11am. There is no burial at this time. To leave an online condolence please visit www.holmeswatkins.com