Obituary of Conrad Allen Keil

Conrad 'Connie' Keil was a lifelong singer, coach and choral director who inspired hundreds around the world to share his passion for barbershop harmony. Conrad Allen Keil was born on August 13, 1935 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Emmanuel Keil and Edna Pennington Keil (Miller). His father was the first of his German-Russian immigrant family to be born in the U.S.; his mother's family had roots going back to colonial America. An only child, Conrad grew up amongst a close-knit extended community of cousins, aunts and uncles from both his father's and mother's families in Oklahoma City. Following his father's death, when Conrad was 12 years old, he attended a Lutheran boarding school in Kansas. He returned to Oklahoma to attend Classen High School and Oklahoma City University, where he met many life-long friends, and later attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1956. Conrad started his professional life with Union Carbide Corporation in Houston, Texas (Texas City), beginning a career spanning 20 years. He served a brief interlude with the U.S. Navy, doing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Center, where he demonstrated a spark for leadership in his company. With Union Carbide, he progressed from engineer to plant manager in facilities across the country, moving his family to New Orleans, LA, Brownsville, TX, and Charleston, WV. A career shift into corporate management led him to a successful decade at FMC Corporation in Philadelphia, PA, where he directed manufacturing for their Phosphorous Chemicals Division, Alkali Chemicals Division, and Specialty Chemicals Division. After leaving FMC, Conrad spent several years consulting with FMC and the Federal Trade Commission, and served as vice president of global operations for both Colorcon, and Berwind Pharmaceuticals. Conrad's career took him around the globe; he was known for operational excellence, safety, project leadership, and talent development. Conrad's lifelong passion was barbershop-style vocal harmony music. As a boy he sang in church choirs, and he was first recruited into the barbershop community at a University of Oklahoma talent show, where Conrad was singing for his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. He sang, taught, coached, judged, and directed music his entire life. "Connie", as he was known in the singing world, sang in barbershop quartets as a tenor, and knew each harmony part of hundreds of songs and tags by heart. His latest quartets were Cahoots, based in Philadelphia, and Sonoran Sound, based in Tucson. Conrad directed four barbershop choruses - the Houston Tidelanders, (gaining a silver medal in the 1968 International Choral competition), the New Orleans Mardi Gras Chorus, the Bryn Mawr Mainliners, and the Philadelphia Sounds of Liberty. He was an International Judge specializing in presentation and interpretation, served on the board of directors of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and was inducted into the BHS Southwestern District "Hall of Fame". Conrad was a certified trainer of chorus directors, and coach who consulted with the best choruses and quartets in the world, including 12-time International champion Vocal Majority, in Dallas, TX. As in his professional career, Conrad saw himself as a mentor of others, leading educational opportunities for youth via Youth Harmony Festival. Conrad married Dianne (Wooten) Keil in 1961; she and their two sons survive him. They divorced in 1999, and he married Kathy (Neilson) Keil - his soulmate with whom he lived, sang, and traveled the world. Conrad and Kathy retired to Tucson, AZ, a home from which they explored the American west and connected with a new community of musicians and friends. Conrad is survived by his wife Kathy Keil and her stepdaughter Rachel Broderick and husband Jim Broderick; his son David Keil and wife Jenny Keil; and his son Philip Keil and wife Stacy Miller. He is also survived by cousins Nancy Keil, Patricia Bowden, Lillian Larwig, Shirley Intemann, Leroy Balliett, and Carolyn Bean. Conrad was very pleased that his three grandchildren, Christian Keil, Evan Keil, and Kelly Keil, were blessed with his gift and passion for music, continuing his legacy of song through participation in their a cappella groups. Conrad loved family and friends, loved his career, loved music, loved life. He passed away peacefully in his Tucson home on May 29, 2017, Memorial Day, with his wife Kathy at his side singing his favorite songs. A celebration of his life will be held at Avalon Chapel, 8090 N Northern Ave, Oro Valley, Arizona on August 13, 2017, 1:00-4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Barbershop Harmony Society (www.barbershop.org) or the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).