A legacy of devotion: Family and friends remember Tim Keating

Tim Keating worked hard so he could play hard, and he was as comfortable behind the office desk at his construction firm as he was getting his hands dirty hiking, hunting and gardening.

Timothy Masters Keating Jr., of Winter Garden, died Sunday, July 20, 2025. He was 65. 

Born April 8, 1960, in Orlando, Keating was the oldest of four boys. He graduated from Bishop Moore High School, from the University of Florida with a degree in building construction and from the University of Central Florida with a Master of Business Administration.

It was in Gainesville that he met his future wife, Mary Roberson, when he coached her intramural football team. They struck up a friendship that continued when he was in the Kappa Alpha fraternity and she joined the fraternity’s Little Sister program. He became her Big Brother and best friend. They eventually started dating, and they married in 1984.

“He was such a dedicated husband,” Mary Keating said. “He was dedicated, driven; we never fought. Some of my most special memories — there’s several special things we did. No. 1 was develop this house and property, because we bought it, and it was literally falling apart. We’ve redone it multiple times and … his willingness to just let us keep creating it into a place to gather.”

Tim Keating’s building expertise is evident in the reconstruction of their home. His wife had the vision, and he made it happen, their friends said. The Keatings were in the middle of a renovation project when he got the cancer diagnosis, and he eventually had to bring in a construction crew to continue the work while he sat on the porch and watched.

“He got weaker and weaker and was (confined to) the bed, but he loved hearing them hammer,” Mary Keating said. “What was hard was knowing he wouldn’t be here to enjoy it, (but) he loved to see it happen, and it gave us something to focus on.”

Tim Keating built a successful career in his 41 years with R.C. Stevens Construction Company, starting as a project manager and estimator and rising through the ranks with his talent and leadership. He became co-owner in the mid-1990s and owner in 2007.

Under his leadership, the nearly 100-year-old company received many accolades. He helped guide its merger with the Cianbro Company, and even in his final days, he shared his vision for R.C. Stevens’ centennial year.

Tim Keating’s contributions to the construction industry were many. He served as the 2020 national chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He had participated in its national peer group since 2003 and served in roles at the local and state levels, including president of the Central Florida chapter in 1997. In 2021, he was named CEO of the Year by the Orlando Business Journal. 

His leadership roles included board positions and advocacy efforts with several groups. He also was a graduate of Leadership Florida and an active member of Team Strength, a CEO roundtable. 

Outside of work, Keating devoted his time to many organizations, serving on a number of boards that impacted the community.

He was appointed by three Florida governors to serve on the West Orange Healthcare District Board in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2018, including time as chairman and Building Committee chair. He dedicated countless hours to civic service through involvement with the city of Winter Garden — its Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, and the Winter Garden Architectural Review and Historical Preservation boards, as well as the Roper YMCA Family Center. 

Tim Keating was a trustee at First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden for more than 21 years and actively supported the West Orange Chamber of Commerce and its Committee of 101.

He was a founding supporter of the SOBO Art Gallery and was instrumental in the restoration of the Winter Garden Theatre and the development of The Exchange Building on Plant Street.

A dedicated Boy Scout leader with Troop 210, Keating led multiple high-adventure trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and contributed pro bono construction services to Camp La-No-Che. He also participated in 13 mission trips with the men’s ministry at First United Methodist Church, traveling to the Caribbean and South America.

“He spent so much time being outside,” his son, Timothy Keating, said. “He was in the office most days, but on the weekends, he loved to be outdoors, enjoying the outdoors, (whether it was) pulling weeds or sitting on the porch.”

His hobbies included raising honeybees and chickens, woodworking, hunting, fishing, gardening and taking family ski trips. 

He genuinely cared for people and enjoyed the company of good friends and good employees.

“He liked to invest in people,” Mary Keating said. “He liked to see people grow, he liked to give people opportunities to advance. … He pushed his children and everyone around him to do the best thing and made it better.”

The three Keating children have special memories of their father.

When Ashley K. Aronoff and her friend, Sarah Cappleman, were in the school play, “Annie Get Your Gun,” their fathers took them to New York City for their birthdays to see the musical on Broadway.

She also recalls his insistence on them figuring out their problems.

“I used to ask for help on the computer, and he would be like, ‘You need to figure it out; spend time and figure it out,’” Aronoff said. “It was one of the best things I did, and it was part of how I grew up.”

Timothy Keating always will remember his father’s sacrifices and their hunting trips.

“He sacrificed a lot for his family,” he said. “I look back at all the sporting stuff and the Boy Scout stuff, and as much work as I do now, I now understand how busy he was and the time he took with us.”

He’s also grateful for the one-on-one time and the lessons he learned while hunting with his dad.

“I really got to know him outside of the house,” Timothy Keating said.

“Some of the biggest memories I will always cherish were on our annual ski trips to Utah,” daughter Kathryn K. Weis said. “I loved skiing the same mountain with him as a child and into my adulthood, when I could eventually bring my husband and daughter on that same trip.”

So many other people were grateful for Tim Keating’s friendship, too.

Angie Ross has been his assistant at R.C. Stevens for close to eight years.

“Tim is intelligent, smart, (with) a memory like no man’s business,” she said. “We had a really good relationship. … I knew as a boss that he had my back. I told him he was always so gracious and generous to me and I appreciated that.”

Stephanie Abell met Tim Keating on the day of the wedding of her childhood friend, Mary, and she and Tim became friends too. To sum up their friendship, Abell quoted a line from the song “For Good” from “Wicked”: “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

“If he was your friend, he was your friend for life,” Abell said. “He loved Mary so much, and they were just special together as a couple, and I just think that he would say today that she was the best part of him.”

Dr. John Cappleman has known Tim Keating since their daughters, now 37, were in preschool.

“We actually went to their lake house when the girls were very young, and we spent the whole day watching the girls swim,” he said. “We hardly said a word. Mary said to Tim, ‘I’m sorry you didn’t have a good day.’ He said it was the best day ever. We were the best of friends from that moment on.”

Their friendship grew as their children participated in Boy Scouts and the Roper YMCA’s Indian Princesses program. Their wives were friends, too, so they hung out with the friend group as well.

Both families were members of the First United Methodist Church, where Cappleman often assisted Tim Keating in manning the barbecue grill for missions and other fundraisers. Tim Keating’s specialty was barbecue pork, but he could whip up delicious turkeys at Thanksgiving and slabs of ribs for Memorial Day if asked.

“A lot of times, the barbecue stuff we did was four or five hours at the most, but we sat around talking,” Cappleman said. “We spent a lot of time together.”

Besides the church, Tim Keating barbecued pork as fundraisers at the Bloom & Grow Garden Society’s annual Spring Fever in the Garden.

Cappleman said he will remember his friend for his ability to give to others “at the slightest request” — and for his zest for life and adventure.

The two went together on the church’s mission trips and to Philmont with the scouts, and they and their spouses made several cycling trips throughout Europe.

“He was always open to ideas, and he was a natural leader — in his company and the scouts and the church,” Cappleman said. “He loved people, he loved to go to events and talk to everybody there.”

Many of these same people — family members, friends and work associates — will gather for a memorial service at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at First United Methodist Church of Winter Garden.

“Tim believed in living life to the fullest,” family members said. “He always said his greatest achievement was providing for and leaving a legacy for his family.”