Aug. 6, 1956 – Jan. 10, 2023
Thomas J. Keable, of Eggertsville, an attorney who helped hundreds of Canadian companies expand into the U.S., died Jan. 10 in Hospice Buffalo, Cheektowaga, from pancreatic cancer. He was 66.
Born in Brockport, the oldest of five children, he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science in 1978 from the University at Buffalo and completed his juris doctor degree at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Active in assisting Canadian businesses in a wide variety of transactions for more than 35 years, he joined Kavinoky Cook LLP in 1982, specialized in corporate and banking law, and became partner in 1990. Mentored there by Lauren Rachlin, an expert in international law practice, he began helping Canadian clients navigate U.S. rules and regulations.
Mr. Keable became a partner in 2004 at Gross Shuman Brizdle and Gilfillan PC, where he started a cross-board practice group and opened a Canadian office in Burlington, Ont. In 2016, he went to Lippes Mathias LLP as a partner to lead its newly-created cross-border practice.
Admitted to practice as a foreign legal consultant in Ontario, he was elected in 2018 to the Managing Chapter Council of the American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Toronto Area Chapter, where he helped promote trade and investment between the two countries.
A music lover, he was a longtime jazz guitar student at the Community Music School of Buffalo. He was vice president of the school’s board of trustees and played in its jazz ensemble. He was an avid supporter of Jazz Buffalo, the Pausa Art House, the Rochester Jazz Festival and the San Francisco Jazz Center.
Also a runner, he received a pin for taking part in the annual Turkey Trot for 25 years.
He also was a former board member of Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center and a supporter of Toronto's Royal Conservatory and the Nature Conservancy.
Survivors include his wife of 33 years, the former Ellen Bruce, an architecture and interior design consultant; two daughters, Rebecca Keable and Emily Keable; his father, Jack; a brother, Tim; and three sisters, Sue Glotfelty, Karen Blackwell and Betsy Whiting.
A celebration of his life will be private.