Keith Macneir was just a few years into retirement and enjoying life – boating, fishing and biking in his home state of Florida and spending time with his son, Breslin, whenever he got the chance.

Keith Macneir with his son, Breslin Macneir Photo courtesy of Brian Macneir

Keith had just turned 64 and had come to Maine at the end of October to visit Breslin.

“He grabbed a big bag of fresh stone crabs off the boat from the west coast of Florida, got on a plane and flew up to Maine, and they had a nice birthday,” said Keith’s brother, Brian Macneir.

On Oct. 25, Breslin and Keith headed to Schemengees Bar & Grill. Breslin had to go to a union meeting for work, so he left his dad at the restaurant and planned to come back.

“He was like, ‘We’ll go here, and I’ll go to my meeting and come back. You can meet some of the guys I’m working with,’ ” Brian Macneir said. “That’s when the episode happened. And then Breslin sat in the hospital for numerous hours before they would tell him anything.”

Keith grew up in the Rio Vista area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the oldest of three boys. He followed in his father’s footsteps, working as an architect before taking a job with the National Park Service in the U.S. Virgin Islands and moving to St. John.

Keith worked for the U.S. National Park Service Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument for about 10 years, retiring in the fall of 2020 as a supervisory facilities and operations specialist, a spokesperson for the park confirmed.

Kelly Larkin, a friend in St. John, said that when she first moved there, Keith “welcomed me into his home with open arms, before he even knew anything about me.”

“Keith was just one of those special people that let everyone in & always made you feel welcome, no matter what,” Larkin said in a Facebook message.

Brian Macneir said Keith and Breslin, who lives in the Lewiston area, were very close and typically spent birthdays and holidays together.

“They would spend quality time doing a lot of different stuff,” Brian Macneir said. “Breslin would take him around and show him the area up there – the beautiful rivers and streams, the wooded areas. They just had a great time.”

“He’s going to be missed by hundreds of people,” Keith’s brother said. “He had a great personality and smile. He was open with everybody.”