‘THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER’
Max Keeping’s granddaughters, from left, Jordann Myles-Cameron, Lisa and Tabetha Meikle-Sigouin address the hundreds gathered at the Canadian Tire Centre Tuesday for the Celebration of Life in honour of Ottawa’s much-loved former CTV anchor.
More than 500 people walked under flags lowered to half-mast as they entered Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday to pay their respects and celebrate the life of Max Keeping.
Inside, they were greeted by some of the beloved broadcaster’s favourite music, including Great Big Sea’s The Night Pat Murphy Died and AC/DC’s Can’t Stop Rock ’N’ Roll.
On a stage dwarfed by three monitors on which images of Keeping flashed, the longtime news anchor and community leader was remembered in the hour-long noon service by family members and such public figures as Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Mayor Jim Watson and master of ceremonies and TSN broadcaster James Duthie. The audience, meanwhile, comprised a cross-section of those whose lives were in one way or another touched by Keeping: family, friends and colleagues, to be sure, but also many people who met Keeping only through his nightly newscasts and appearances at public functions and fundraising events.
And no matter on which side of the microphone people sat, they shared a similar remembrance of a man who, to quote the lapel buttons sported by many throughout the arena, lived life to the max.
“He was such a friend of the Pontiac, the rural community, and that made all the difference,” said one such audience member, Betty Kennedy, who grew up in Quyon and watched Keeping deliver the six o’clock news each night. “He made people feel that they were part of a larger community. He was an example of how we should all live our lives, of how we should get involved, how we should love, how we should take people in who need help.”
Another attendee and fellow Newfoundlander, Keith Critsch, recalled meeting Keeping for the first time not long after moving to Ottawa 27 years ago, when they were bidding against each another for a T-shirt at an auction to raise money for Newfoundland children coming to Ottawa and CHEO for surgery.
“He outbid me, and then turned around and gave the T-shirt to our four-year-old son.”
“For this town and Eastern Ontario,” added Keith’s wife, Geraldine, “there will never be another Max.”
That latter sentiment was frequently echoed throughout the arena. Former CBC and CTV newsman Lloyd Robertson agreed that, with news media spread throughout far more outlets than existed four decades ago, the like of Max Keeping is, in fact, unlikely to be seen again.
“He was a real citizen. He believed in giving, in being a part of the community and being a force within the community. To me, Max conducted a kind of master class in how to do local television news, and how to, in his case, spread it out so that, as a personality and as a character, he became part of the community. He dominated the community, almost. But he never lost his base in journalism.
“He knew that if you were going to cover life, you have to know about life.”
On Tuesday’s stage, speaker after speaker talked of Keeping’s love of life, of how he worked hard and partied harder, and how he gave unselfishly to the community. Bulka urged listeners to be more like Keeping: “Resolve to do something to embrace the lives of others.”
VIP guests at Tuesday’s celebration included Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and players Chris Phillips, Erik Karlsson, Chris Neil, Kyle Turris, Milan Michalek and former Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson, and media personalities such as Robertson and Craig Oliver.
In describing Keeping, Duthie drew a comparison to Alfie, who for years was the face of Ottawa’s hockey franchise. Keeping, Duthie remarked, was the face of Ottawa’s community.
“I was happy to look up to and learn from Max,” said Alfredsson. “It’s a different thing to be the community’s franchise player. It’s a big statement, and one that fit him perfectly.
“I looked at him as a first-class citizen and a great role model for everybody. He attended a lot of events and did it every time with a big smile. He built people up.”
Winston Maxwell Keeping died on Oct. 1, succumbing to lung and brain cancer at the age of 73. In his half-century in Ottawa, which included a 37-year career at CJOHTV and CTV, he became not only the region’s most highly regarded newscaster but also one of its most prolific philanthropists, raising more than $100 million for various causes, most notably the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
For Brenda Mason, the thought of Keeping’s death brings mixed emotions. As a director at CTV, she was the “voice in his ear” for more than 30 years as Keeping delivered his nightly newscasts, and was a friend of his for nearly 40 years.
“I’m really happy that Max was released from his physical body, because I feel that now, in spirit, he can do what he wanted to do his entire life, which was to be everywhere, to everyone, at every time, all at once. And that’s how Max lived his life. He wanted to be everywhere and do everything for everybody. He gave everything away.
“He’s set free. He’s set free.”
I feel that now, in spirit, he can do what he wanted to do his entire life, which was to be everywhere, to everyone, at every time, all at once.