Regina Keightley, 77, leaves legacy as dedicated community volunteer
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
Regina Keightley's life came full circle on Nantucket, where she was born at the original hospital on West Chester Street in January 1930 and died peacefully on July 4, 2007 at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Prospect Street surrounded by her children. Mrs. Keightley, a devoted community volunteer for 25 years, succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 77.

Regina Keightley

Born Regina Ann Burgess to Joseph and Doris Burgess, Mrs. Keightley grew up for years on Nantucket, but left when her father, the island's school superintendent, was offered a job in Sturbridge, Mass. That is where she graduated from high school in 1947, then attended Skidmore College on a full scholarship, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1951. The family continued to vacation on the island, and during her college summers, Mrs. Keightley worked at the former Skipper restaurant on Steamboat Wharf where she met her first husband, Walter Creedon, with whom she had children Gregory, Martha and Peter.

Though the Burgess family eventually bought a house on New Mill Street, known as Chicken Hill, Mrs. Keightley did not return permanently to the island until 1982 when she moved into their home after her father's death. In the interim years she was almost a winner on the TV game show "Concentration" until she said the winning answer aloud to herself during a commercial that was heard by her competitor, who took home the prize.

A former delegate to McCall's Magazine's National Congress on Better Living, Mrs. Keightley was once president of the American Association of University Women and perhaps the forerunner of Martha Stewart, say her children. She lived in Saugus and Melrose, Mass., as well as in Mattapoisett, and began teaching in New Bedford in 1970, shortly after her first marriage ended. She wed William Keightley in 1973 while teaching English and the couple moved to her family home on the island.

It took no time before Mrs. Keightley became an important and unforgettable member of the community's volunteers, devoting her time to the hospital, the library, the schools, the Second Shop and the Hospital Thrift Shop. She served as a board member for the Thrift Shop as well as on the board of Nantucket Counseling Services. Besides the pleasure she took from her community work, she loved gardening, her grandchildren, and late in life, a fascination with the Internet. In May 2007 she was interviewed for an oral history project sponsored by National Public Radio called Story Corps, and a portion of her interview aired on the station.

"She was very bright," said her son, Greg. "Living in middle-class towns like Saugus and Melrose wasn't exactly stimulating, but she always threw herself into whatever she did. I really think if she had been born 20 years later she would have been the CEO of something. She was an old-fashioned conservative who lived through the Depression. She was very careful with resources and kept that old New England conservatism until the very end."

Her daughter, Martha, described her as strongwilled, and noted that even if she did not know someone, Mrs. Keightley, always the teacher, did not hesitate to correct a person's grammar.

"To me, she was inspirational in being involved in the community," she said. "Now I'm involved in a lot of community things in Waltham, and a lot of that has to do with her."

In May, Mrs. Keightley held a catered lunch at her home for her closest friends, a way to say goodbye in a special way through explaining to each person why they were invited and what they meant to her in life.

Friend Martha Butler said Mrs. Keightley was an outstanding community volunteer and assisted in caring for her husband when he suffered a stroke and she had to go shopping. She also recalls the fun.

"She was a good competitor on holidays when people dressed up - she and I would have a little contest going," said Butler. "I'm going to miss her more now because I've been seeing more of her since she's been ill. We used to be members of the Angler's Club, and we would meet every Friday night. She was good for a laugh. And we used to go to ladies' business luncheons every Tuesday - she saved me a seat."

Edna Butner, another long-time friend, said the women had grandchildren the same age and would meet at the beach. They had other associations Mrs. Butner fondly recalls.

"We both went to [work at] the Hospital Thrift Shop at the same time and I worked with her there for over 20 years. She really worked at being a volunteer - she was a tremendous asset to the Thrift Shop," she remembered. "We had some very good times. She dearly loved her grandchildren. We touched in more than one way."

Mrs. Keightley's children are deeply saddened by their mother's death, but are also thankful that it was not so sudden that they had no chance to make their peace with her and one another, said Martha.

"We were blessed in many ways by her gradual decline," said her son Greg, noting that all three children helped care for their mother in the last few months. "We had the time to talk with her and share, and do everything you wanted to do that you would have regretted not doing. We were grateful for the opportunity."

Mrs. Keightley is survived by her brothers, Price Burgess of Albion, Mich. and Joseph Burgess, Jr. of Ellicot City, Md.; her children and spouses Gregory Creedon and James Howarth of Nantucket, Martha Creedon and Leo Keightley of Waltham, Mass., and Peter and Debbie Creedon of Nantucket; cousins Ann Sire and Pam Auge; grandchildren Benjamin and Scott Keightley of New York City, N.Y. and Peter Creedon Jr. of St. Peter's Miss., and Mrs. Keightley's dear friend, Rene Beach of Nantucket.

A service for Mrs. Keightley was held on Monday afternoon at the First Congregational Church with the Rev. C. William Steelman officiating. Interment followed at the family's plot in Prospect Hill Cemetery. Donations in Mrs. Keightley's name may be made to Hospice of Nantucket or to the Marla Lamb Cancer Fund, both

through Nantucket Cottage Hospital. I