Frances Elizabeth Keegan

Frances Elizabeth Keegan, 94, of Liverpool, NY, passed away December 31, 2024.

Fran was born to the late William and Elizabeth Keegan in Winthrop, NY. Fran’s early childhood was spent on a small dairy farm with no electricity or running water. Later in life she talked often about how lucky she was to have lived such a cherished childhood on the farm with her loving parents, playing the piano and riding her beloved horses. She was Valedictorian of the 1948 graduating class of Brasher and Stockholm High School. Fran later graduated from the Adirondack School of Commerce in Malone, NY. She became a legal secretary and married St. Lawrence County District Attorney, Roger W. Daniels in 1953, at the North Bangor Methodist Church. They lived happily with their two sons, James, and Stephen. During her marriage to Roger, she became an avid collector of antiques, and they travelled frequently. They lived a beautiful life in Potsdam until Roger’s untimely passing in the fall of 1966.

Fran’s positive outlook and high energy attracted many people. She found love again and married award-winning science fiction author Richard Wilson, director of the News Bureau at Syracuse University, and they lived for several years in Syracuse, NY with Fran’s two children and Richard’s son, Richard David Wilson. After many years, Frances and Richard separated.  Being a free spirit and having positive energy. In the mid-1980s she became involved in non-conventional religions, including mysticism, Wicca, paganism, and the Kabbalah. She proudly owned one of the largest collections of occult materials in existence and had achieved high priestess status in her circle. She also became interested in martial arts and earned her black belt in Kempo Karate. She owned a martial arts dojo in Syracuse and taught Kempo Karate there for several years.

Richard Dawson came into her life and they were inseparable until his passing in 2016. Wanting a change from central New York, Fran moved to California for a few years and enjoyed companionship with Barry Ira Geller. When he passed away several years later, she missed the snow and moved to Liverpool, NY in 2015.

Fran lived a warm, rich and full life that included many people. She was always a loving and devoted mother to her two sons. She is survived by her son James Daniels and his wife Pat of Ann Arbor, Michigan, her son Stephen Daniels of Syracuse, New York, and James Daniels’s son Alexis Daniels of New York City.

A Celebration of Life in honor of Fran’s memory will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CNY SPCA.

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