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Darien Private Equity Executive Robert McKeon Dies

DARIEN, Conn. – Robert "Bob" B. McKeon of Darien died Sept. 13 at his home. He was 58.  

A Harvard Business School graduate, he was the founder and chairman of Veritas Capital, a private equity firm. The Connecticut chief medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be suicide, according to multiple reports.

He was born Aug. 6, 1954, in the Bronx, N.Y., to Diana Brady McKeon and Donald Stillwell McKeon. He attended Albertus Magnus High School and graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in economics and from Harvard with an MBA in 1980.  

McKeon was one of the original partners of Wasserstein Perella Management Partners before founding Veritas Capital in 1992. A supporter of his alma maters, he established a fellowship fund in honor of his 25th Harvard reunion that helped military personnel attend the business school. 

McKeon was appointed chairman of the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority, a public authority that finances hospitals and universities in Connecticut. 

An avid art and book collector, McKeon loved music and was a voracious reader and enthusiastic painter. He enjoyed walking, jogging, skiing, shooting, tennis and horseback riding. He traveled extensively with his family and particularly loved East Hampton, Telluride and the English countryside.  

McKeon's family said he realized his good fortune in finding a career that he loved and always encouraged his children to pursue their own dreams, once referring to the ancient Greek ethos that happiness is the use of one's talents along the lines of excellence.

McKeon is survived by his wife, Clare Elizabeth Smith McKeon; their son, Alexander McKeon; his previous wife, Patricia Finnegan; and their three children, Robert, Jacqueline and James; four brothers, Donald McKeon, of Buffalo, N.Y., Joseph McKeon, of Waverly, N.Y., George McKeon, of Walden, N.Y., and Matthew McKeon, of Albany, N.Y.; and a sister, Karen McKeon, of Manahawkin, N.J. He was predeceased by a brother John McKeon. 

A private family service was held Saturday. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Kidney Cancer Association in Chicago in memory of John T. McKeon and Robert B. McKeon.

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