Henry M. ?Hank? Keezing, 77, of Kensington, died October 3, 2007. He always loved to write and tell stories, and considered himself lucky that he became a journalist and, thanks to the old New Britain Herald, had a public forum for his thoughts and ideas and stories through late 2006, which was long after his 1992 retirement as Executive Editor of that newspaper. He was born in Boston on July 19, 1930, son of the late Louis and Rose (Bloom) Keezing. Early life and schools were in Falmouth on Cape Cod, and in Boston. He attended Boston schools and graduated Boston University, School of Communications, and his career started on a weekly newspaper in Thomaston, CT. He joined the New Britain Herald a few years later, and soon thereafter – August 1956 – married the one love of his life, Shirley Chipman. She survives him after 51 years of marriage. They have three sons, Louis of West Hartford, Jonathan of Amherst, MA, and Michael of Holyoke, MA. His daughters-in-law are Louis? wife Laura, and Jonathan?s wife Karen. Four grandchildren came along: Sarah, David, Naomi and Umi. His sister is Mrs. Mildred Saidel of Quincy, MA. He is predeceased by his brother Joseph of Newton, MA. He also leaves a cousin, Harold Bloom of Hull, MA, and several nieces and nephews. For most of his years at The Herald, he was Editorial Page Editor, a position which he often described as a delicate balancing act between writing his own views, respecting the wishes of Herald management and tempering his words to benefit the community as he understood it. Henry did considerable theater reviewing and for about 30 years, wrote a weekly, by-lined commentary column in The Herald on subjects as far-ranging as political opinion to the state of our society to personal anecdotes – humor was a strong point of his work. His writing brought him a number of awards, both state and regional, including recognition for his work in the field of the Constitutionally-mandated right of a free press in a democratic society. His journalism memberships included the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the New England Society of Newspaper Editors, the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association and the state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which he served as a two-term President. He was active with the state newspapers? Freedom of Information program. He has been active with the New Britain YMCA and its Health Center, where he enjoyed wide-ranging social contacts. Also, he has been a volunteer with the New Britain Museum of American Art, Literacy Volunteers, Plainville Choral Society and the New Britain Symphony board of directors. He was a member of Temple Sinai in Newington, where he sang with the chorus, and in years past served on the Temple?s board of education. He became Executive Vice President of Temple Sinai, but in the 1990s declined the presidency because of a bout of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He and Shirley enjoyed travel, and in recent years, through the internet, came into contact with extended, world-wide family he never knew existed. He enjoyed a game of cribbage, the Red Sox, UConn football, men?s and women?s basketball, classical and Broadway musicals, spending time with his grandchildren, and puttering around the house and yard. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 7, 2007 at 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary of Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington with interment following in the Temple Sinai Memorial Park. A memorial period will be observed at his home, 190 Ellwood Rd., Kensington, on Sunday evening, Monday evening, and Tuesday evening. Memorial contributions may be made to Temple Sinai. Arrangements are entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary. For further information, directions, or to share memories of Henry with his family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.