Edward Keane: Too Restless to Retire
nytimes.com
More than three years ago, Edward Keane retired. He had had a long and satisfying career as a mechanical engineer, and it made sense. He was 62.
He enjoyed the outdoors, and so he busied himself hiking and puttering around the garden.
His mother-in-law died, and there was a lot to do, selling her house and otherwise wrapping up her affairs. He sold his sailboat — it was too big to handle — and was going to buy a smaller boat.
After a while, though, he got restless. He was in perfect health, and wanted to do more.
"He kept watching a neighbor walk his dog three times a day," said his wife, Barbara Keane. "He knew that wasn't for him."
So in May, he resumed the work life as a consultant with Hill International, assigned to the Port Authority.
Mr. Keane, 66, lived with his wife in West Caldwell, N.J., but he was enthralled by Lower Manhattan. Whenever a friend or relative came in from out of town, he had to show them around the area.
He made a point of being considerate. The week before Sept. 11, a neighbor was moving. She had a lot of stuff to throw out. He got a hand truck and carted it out to the curb, as some of the young residents of the block watched and egged him on. He did not need any help. |
