Lieutenant General Nicholas B. Kehoe III (United States Air Force, retired), 79, of Falls Church passed away on Sunday, December 18, 2022, after a year and a half long battle with blood cancer.  He handled it like he did everything, with a quiet strength, determined not to let it make his world any smaller. He will forever be remembered as an honorable, kind, and generous man; one who valued service, mentoring, and good character. To know Nick was to respect and admire him.

Nick is survived by Paula, his wife of 55 years; his daughters, Elizabeth Hartzler (Shane) and Jennifer Whyte (Mike) and his grandchildren, Jacob, Emma, and Rachel Hartzler, and Nathan and Katherine Whyte. His siblings, Mike Kehoe (Becky), Kathy Christopher, Patti Soike, Barbara Kehoe, Maureen Reiniger (Peter), Noel Perry (Keith), Nancy Sullivan, Gail Sullivan, Tommy Sullivan (Valerie), Jimmy Sullivan, Marianne Sullivan, and Paul Sullivan (Nora), as well as many nieces and nephews also survive him. He is reunited with his parents, his sister Chris Jones, and a host of good friends who went before.

Nick, the first child of Nicholas B. Kehoe Jr., his namesake, and Mary C. Kehoe Sullivan, was born at Langley AFB in Virginia.  An Air Force family, they resided across the U.S. in 9 different states until they settled in Rochester, New York where Nick lived until college. When Nick was 12 years old, his dad passed away. As the oldest of 14 children, he was a much looked up to older brother and father figure. He was a devoted son and the apple of his mother’s eye.

Inspired by his father, Nick too chose a military path.  He attended the US Air Force Academy graduating in 1966.  Shortly thereafter he met his wife Paula and with her (and later his two daughters) by his side, he embarked upon a military career that was impressive by any standard. Highlights include two tours in Vietnam; time spent overseas in Germany at Ramstein AFB and in England at the Royal Air Force War College and British Joint Warfare Wing; being Vice Wing Commander at Langley AFB and Wing Commander at Randolph AFB; Commanding the 19^th Air Force; more overseas time in Belgium at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and as the NATO Military Committee Deputy Chairman; and finally, acting as the USAF Inspector General.  After 34 years of distinguished service, he went on to serve as the National Commander of the Order of Daedalians, as well as the President and CEO of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.  Both organizations were so important to him. He made an indelible mark on each of them and stayed involved in various ways even after he stopped working.

In retirement, Nick remained busy with his favorite causes and kept in touch with many people from his past.  He spent a lot of time training to be a docent at the National Air and Space Museum, but sadly due to Covid and then declining health, never got a chance to give a tour. Running errands, whether it was to drop a note at the post office, pick up a croissant and coffee for Paula, or grab a few things from the grocery store was part of his daily routine, as was spending time with his beloved pup, Cooper, who he spoiled with at least 4 walks a day and way too many scraps of people food.  When he was home, Nick could most often be found in his office, hunched over his desk with his piles of paperwork, resting in his easy chair, or sitting in front of a TV tuned into the news or a sport. He loved sports of all kinds, both college and pro, and was an avid supporter of all the Washington teams despite their sometimes dismal performances. He was a faithful watcher of the nightly network news, and any other news station for that matter, and he never went far without his newspaper, his sudoku puzzle, and his briefcase (affectionately referred to as the football by his family).

Though a good husband and Dad to be sure, it was in his role of Grampy that he truly excelled.  He loved his grandchildren fiercely and his pride in each of them was evident. Every day before he left the house he would don a UVA, JMU, or UT baseball cap that he wore to represent each of their respective colleges. He supported their causes and whatever was important to them was important to him.  He was a super fan in the stands locally and a regular at other events too and would fly to Texas in a flash to see a band concert or soccer game or just to visit. Although he did occasionally raise an eyebrow at the ripped jeans, holey shirts, backward ballcaps, and lingo of the younger generations, he loved hearing their stories and learning from them too.  Nick loved his family, supported all of them in their endeavors, and until his last breath was worried about everyone else’s welfare over his own.

Nick was easy to love, easy to be proud of, and the very best at staying humble and giving others a chance to shine.  The interest he took in the people whose paths he crossed was extraordinary and he truly had a way of making others feel heard and important. He quietly taught lessons on how to give back in this great big world by just extending his warm friendly smile and his big, beautiful, kind heart. He will certainly be missed, but his legacy will live on in all who knew him.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 14 at St. Matthews UMC, 8617 Little River Turnpike in Annandale, VA.  He will be laid to rest with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery later this year. Date and time will be announced when plans are finalized.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to one of Nick’s favorite charities listed below. Alternatively, we would be delighted for you to pay it forward by doing a random act of kindness in his name (and tell us about it if you wish).

Association of Graduates – United States Air Force Academy https://www.usafa.org/

Order of Daedalians https://www.daedalians.org/donate/

Appalachia Service Project https://asphome.org/give/

Camp Kesem https://donate.kesem.org/give/f4202614/#!/donation/checkout