Richard "Buster" Keenan

Richard “Buster” Lee Keenan unexpectedly passed away on March 31, 2022, at his home in
Boulder, Colorado. He was 61 years old. Buster was born September 15, 1960, in Denver,
Colorado.

He went to elementary and high school in Guymon, Oklahoma, and attended
Oklahoma State University for three years before moving to Boulder in the late 1980s to work at
the Boulder Book Store. Buster was a nationally known independent bookseller and an integral
part of the local and regional book community for more than 30 years. He was a real
“jack-of-all-trades,” with expertise in IT and finance. His unswerving commitment to helping his
family, friends, and colleagues is one of the things that made him special.

As the book store staff shared, “If you've ever walked into the Upper North Room and heard the
recording telling you to watch your step, you've heard his voice. If you've ever admired the
section signs throughout the store, you've appreciated his work. If you've ever sent an email to
info@boulderbookstore.com, you've actually reached out to him. And any bookseller who
worked here for at least a month enjoyed his home-baked treats. He did so many important and
varied things around our store that we were never sure what his title should be — I sometimes
referred to him as "our IT guy", sometimes as "Project Manager" — but anyone who knew him
even a little knew his catchphrase, "Anything I can help you with?"

Buster loved live music and shared many special times with friends at the Telluride Bluegrass
Festival, Rocky Grass, and too many shows to count at the great Boulder and Denver venues.
Among his many talents was knowing by heart all the words to the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
soundtrack. He was very generous and could always be counted on to bring twice as much food
as was needed (why make just one crockpot of jambalaya when you can make two?!). He was
renowned for bringing his cooler bags full of the best local microbrews and margarita fixings,
always to share. In addition to music, he collected hundreds of books and quirky, cool t-shirts. If
he thought of you when shopping, you’d receive an unexpected gift next time you got together,
“just because.” He was a caring and true friend and will be greatly missed by many near and far.
To paraphrase one of his favorite musicians Sam Bush, "[He] was a friend of mine/Very close at
heart to me/I had to let [him] fly away/Into the night an angel to be...."

He is survived by his mother Peggy Keenan of Guymon, Oklahoma, his brother Larry Keenan
(Tess) of Arkansas, nephews Paul (Christine) Keenan of Dumas, TX, and Cole Keenan of Canon,
Texas, as well as great nephew Mason and nieces Natalee and Olivia. He is preceded in death by
his father, Larry Paul Keenan I, and his grandparents Mary and LaVur Book and Paul and Renee
Keenan.

A celebration of life will be held at the Boulder Book Store on May 22, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Please
RSVP at BusterBBS.eventbrite.com.

The family will also hold a remembrance in Guymon.

In lieu of flowers, Buster’s family encourages donations in his honor to the Book Industry Charitable
Foundation (BINC), https://www.bincfoundation.org.

Friends and family may sign the guest book or leave a condolence.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard "Buster" Keenan, please visit our floral store.