We are heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of Elizabeth King McKeown on September 26, 2025. Elizabeth, or Liza as her grandchildren called her, was born September 5, 1944 in Butte, Montana, and grew up in Fort Peck, Montana. She was the oldest of eight children of James and Agnes King. Elizabeth and her siblings and extended family just gathered two weeks prior to lay Agnes (age 102) to rest.
Elizabeth left Montana as her high school’s valedictorian, graduated from Gonzaga University in 1966, and went on to earn her PhD at the University of Chicago in 1972. She began teaching at Georgetown University that fall - when female professors were still uncommon on campus - with her infant daughter Kate in tow and her son Sean soon to arrive. She taught over a dozen courses in theology and American Studies, educating and advising thousands of students over the ensuing decades. Although she generally preferred to eschew the spotlight and accolades that came with her successes in the classroom, she served as Chair of the American Studies program during its formative years, and was honored to accept the Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Award for Faculty Excellence, chosen by the senior class of 1987. Her enthusiasm for American history and compassion for the least among us shone through the book she authored with her colleague Dorothy Brown, The Poor Belong to Us: Catholic Charities and American Welfare. She retired from Georgetown in 2015, moved to Philadelphia to be closer to family, and think about “what’s next” as she would say.
Elizabeth leaves behind beloved family and friends. She is survived by her children Kate (Rudy) Fuller and Sean (Brenda Biondo) McKeown; her grandchildren Reilly, Liam, and Fiona Fuller, and Sophia and Connor McKeown; her siblings Jim (Mary Anne) King, Dan (Sally) King, Suzanne (Karl) Kehm, Barbara Lachmar, Bryan (Lisa) King; and Cathy (Sam) Bass; and dozens of extended relatives.
She will be missed dearly by her family and remembered for her lifelong passion for reading, learning, and teaching, her incisive wit, and her deep love for her children and grandchildren. In her honor, please read a book, tell a story, laugh at a joke, or go for a run. That would make her smile.