In memoriam of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Grand Marshal Remembering Trustee Joseph Keyes

The “Wit & Wisdom” insert was printed prior to his death and now serves as an “in memoriam” eulogy for Keyes. An editorial obituary will be printed next week.

Trustee Joseph Keyes was appointed to the Village of Patchogue board in 2009 and elected in 2010. He was then reelected in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Keyes was married to his wife Linda for over 50 years.  He was a Village of Patchogue resident since 1975, with four sons and five grandchildren.

Among his many lifetime accomplishments, he was involved with the approval of the New Village complex at the Four Corners, ArtSpace, expansion of the sewer plant, Copper Beech, the introduction of Fabco Filters in the catch basins reducing harmful elements from the waterways, liquid brine as opposed to salt for snow on roadways, facilitated a partnership with Pedal Share, applied for grants to acquire recycling pails at all village parks, legislated an engine idling restriction, and helped bring the Johnson Controls project to the village.

However, he once told The Long Island Advance that he was most proud of legislating the village’s Green Fleet policy, which ensured that all vehicles purchased by the village will be designed to reduce toxic fossil fuel emissions. As such, he also facilitated the purchase of the first electric vehicle in the village and the installation of a charging station.

Keyes also founded the Protecting the Environment in Patchogue Committee, which has made environmental improvements including a single-use bag ban, Styrofoam ban, the buffer in a bag project, the Patchogue Green Business Program and the Microplastics Assessment of the River, Bay and Lake Ecosystem, a partnership with students from St. Joseph’s University.

Apart from that, he was also the liaison for the Parks & Recreation Department, helping bring the walk-through petting zoo, goat yoga, and a fitness program to the village. As trustee, he also collaborated to ensure the safety of pedestrians with vests and a “road diet” to help slow down traffic.

Drawing on his passion for youth baseball as a PYAA coach, he spearheaded the initiative to bring the artificial turf fields to the Rider Avenue ball field complex. He was also heavily involved in the development and construction of the splash pad at the village pool.

The parade will be held on Sunday, March 23; all four of his sons will March in his honor. The race will start at 11:45 a.m. and the parade will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Keyes will serve as the posthumous parade grand marshal.